[4] In 1996, a joint Māori-Crown Working Group on Broadcasting Policy was set up, and in the same year, the Aotearoa Television Network launched as a pilot service in the Auckland area for thirteen weeks.

ATN was plagued by lack of planning and government funding, which ultimately led to its closure, as well as hostile media coverage.

[4] Test broadcasts started on 1 March 2004 on UHF frequencies previously used by Sky to relay CNN International.

[5] Māori Television was launched on 28 March 2004 with a special dawn ceremony attended by 2000 people at the Newmarket headquarters of the channel.

[7] The main channel attracts 1.5 million viewers each month, including half of all Māori aged five or more, and one-third of all New Zealanders.

The deal meant the channel would receive money to curate Te Ao Māori stories to be published on Google's News Showcase platform.

[13] In late September 2024, Whakaata Māori proposed a major internal restructure including axing its daily news television bulletin due to a projected NZ$10 million funding reduction by 2027.

Kaihautū Shane Taurima also announced plans to shift Te Ao Māori News from a linear television to a digital format.

[15] The channel operates under the stewardship of the New Zealand government, and the Māori Television Electoral College (Te Putahi Paoho).

[16] In July 2015, Māori Television's seven-member board of directors decided that Hamilton or Rotorua could be a new home for the broadcaster.

They are drawn by the channel's local programming, such as Kai Time on the Road, Kete Aronui and Ask Your Auntie; New Zealand movies and documentaries; and the diverse range of international features not seen on other NZ networks.

[22] In 2005, newsreader Julian Wilcox was fired (and reinstated) after he contributed to information provided to other media that led to negative coverage of the channel.

That same year, Te Kāea presenter Ngarimu Daniels was banned from taking part in protests, and her partner was referred to as a "dyke" by a senior channel manager.

She was awarded $16,000 compensation,[23] and her partner, Leonie Pihama, a leading Māori academic and film-maker, resigned from the channel's board, citing a conflict of interest.