Reading News about Māori: Responses from non-Māori media audiences

The media has the potential to undermine wellbeing and opportunities for Treaty-based social justice in its representation of Māori, relationships between Māori and non-Māori, and in its promotion of particular understandings of the Treaty of Waitangi. This paper presents research exploring the meaning-making of Pākehā and tauiwi (immigrant) focus group participants in relation to media representations of Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi. We also discuss the impact of recurrent media portrayals of Māori and the Treaty on health and well being as understood by the focus groups.