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Protest, Protection, Perception: How New Zealand’s Mainstream and Māori Media Portray the Ihumātao Dispute

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Thesis(1.72 MB)

Date

2025

Authors

Supervisor

Deckert, Antje
Hata, Alexandra

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice

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Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

The media play a vital role in shaping public perceptions of Indigenous peoples and our movements, often advancing colonial frameworks through dominant Pākehā (New Zealander of European descent) narratives. This thesis investigates how Māori kaitiaki (guardians, protectors) involved in the ‘Protect Ihumātao’ movement were portrayed by Māori news media and mainstream media in Aotearoa New Zealand, and considers the implications of these portrayals for public understanding of Māori, Māori sovereignty, and environmental protection. Utilising a qualitative research approach, a comparative case study design, and thematic analysis, data was collected during the peak of the Ihumātao protest in August 2019. The analysis included 29 news items from Te Ao Māori News, which captured a Māori worldview, and 30 articles from NZ Herald, representing mainstream, Pākehā, and Tauiwi (non-Māori) perspectives. The study found that Te Ao Māori News focuses on Māori voices, positivity, grounding in being Māori, self-determination, solidarity, rangatiratanga (chieftainship), and advocacy. In contrast, the NZ Herald’s reporting focused on negativity, power, politicisation, and the role of the police. Te Ao Māori News presents those at Ihumātao as protectors—kaitiaki — standing for whenua (land) and whakapapa (genealogy, ancestry). At the same time, the NZ Herald more often portrays them as protesters by foregrounding confrontation and emphasising the presence of police, which subtly presents the protest as a potential threat requiring control. These contrasting depictions do more than describe; they reflect the underlying forces that shape how stories are told, rooted in cultural worldviews, the expectations of different readerships, and the institutional values that guide journalistic practice. They demonstrate how different sources frame not only the events themselves but also the very meaning of Māori presence, environmental protection, Indigenous sovereignty, and the broader movement for Indigenous rights. The results demonstrate the media’s significant contribution to framing how the public perceives sociopolitical issues, such as Māori land protests in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study serves as a reminder to many: the media shapes perception. This is about whose voices are amplified, whose stories are legitimised, and whose truths are ignored. Aotearoa New Zealand cannot uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi and silence Indigenous peoples. That is why Māori news media must fulfil a counterpoint role to mainstream media. A subsequent inquiry could examine the increasing role of social media, where stories escape newsroom confines and where Indigenous voices are finding new means to be heard, shared, and amplified.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19904

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Masters Theses