Author: Merja Myllylahti, Senior Lecturer, Co-Director Research Centre for Journalism, Media & Democracy, Auckland University of Technology

The news media is doing its best to keep everyone up to speed with the pace of Donald Trump’s radical changes to the world order. But in Aotearoa New Zealand, where avoiding news is more common than in other countries, many of us are blocking our ears to it all. In 2025, “Trump fatigue” is now one of the key reasons 73% of New Zealanders say they actively avoid the news to some extent. For context, in Finland (where trust in news is highest), avoidance sits at only 21%. For our 2025 Trust in News report, we asked New Zealanders…