This study analysed newspaper and television news items about Maori issues and te Tiriti o Waitangi. It found mass media used persistent negative themes about Maori, Pakeha news frames and a low proportion of Maori news sources. Aspects of coverage, such as use of labels like ‘activist’ were unbalanced. Media consumers believed this coverage damaged Maori health and reinforced negative Pakeha perceptions of Maori.