How is New Zealand’s political ‘reality’ being described?

Influence

A handful of media outlets shape how millions of New Zealanders understand politics. According to Roy Morgan research, Stuff, NZME, and ODT collectively dominate the media landscape — yet in an era obsessed with misinformation and disinformation in the social media space, we rarely stop to ask how traditional media shapes our understanding of who holds power, how decisions are made, and whether those in charge are being held to account.

That influence is exactly what Socialherds seeks to examine — drawing on data from Victoria University’s Democracy Project to reveal the patterns, priorities and blind spots in how New Zealand’s political reality is constructed and told.

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How New Zealand’s Political Narratives Are Being Shaped: 2026 Analysis”