[2] The current Minister is Paul Goldsmith, a member of the National Party.

In 1936 the First Labour Government decided that broadcasting would be run by the state.

[3][4] The Labour Party had specifically sought to broadcast parliamentary debates via radio as a means of allowing the public to listen and make their own judgment of events, rather than relying solely on the press, whom Labour were distrustful of.

[7] The position was recreated from October 2017 with a title change reflecting a broader scope.

[2] Under the Sixth Labour Government, the focus of the portfolio was on creating a new Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media entity which would have been formed by merging TVNZ and Radio New Zealand into a single state broadcaster.