Science Journalism and Indigenous Knowledge in New Zealand: Silencing and Epistemic Injustice

There is growing recognition that solutions to complex problems like climate change require multiple knowledge systems. In Aotearoa New Zealand, this includes the integration of mātauranga Māori – an Indigenous knowledge (IK) system grounded in whakapapa (genealogy), relational ethics and principles such as kaitiakitanga (guardianship/stewardship) – with Western science. While the science sector has made progress in this direction, news media, which play a key role in shaping public understanding of science, have lagged. This exploratory study investigates how science journalism in Aotearoa engages with mātauranga Māori via (1) a descriptive content analysis of The Press newspaper (n = 755 articles), to identify gaps and inform deeper qualitative inquiry grounded in mātauranga Māori concepts, and (2) journalists’ responses to a 2022 survey of news media (n = 154 respondents). It identifies key gaps in journalism practice, including a lack of confidence covering mātauranga Māori, and reporting that is Western-centric, silences Māori voices and marginalises the authority of Māori as environmental stewards. It argues that the failure to include IK in science reporting constitutes a form of epistemic injustice, and that reorienting journalism education and newsroom practice to IK systems, such as mātauranga Māori, is fundamental to science and environmental reporting.