Absent Stories: Māori Homelessness in the Media

Abstract

This thesis presents an analysis of mainstream and indigenous media outlet’s framing of Māori homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand, and examined whether this increased or decreased social distance. How issues are defined in the media is important in creating social dialogue that can influence policy, and in 2016, homelessness became a ‘hot topic’ for news media and coverage was at the highest point it had been in years. Māori citizens are overrepresented in homeless statistics so it follows that an examination of how they were portrayed during a time of heightened awareness is crucial in addressing Māori homelessness. This thesis found that mainstream media favoured an episodic framing and did not provide a space for homeless Māori citizens to speak. It also found that indigenous media favoured a thematic framing and allowed homeless Māori citizens a space to articulate their situations. This meant that homeless Māori citizens were constructed in two ways, as both the perpetrators and the victims of homelessness, contributing to disconnect and social distance between homeless Māori and housed citizens.