Founded in 1972 as the New Zealand Press Council, it is enabled to hear complaints against newspapers and other publications, particularly regarding allegations of bias and inaccuracy.

[3] The council is primarily funded by the News Publishers' Association with smaller contributions from member fees and E tū union.

[5][8] The council however, does not have the statutory powers required to enforce rulings or sanction offending publishers.

[4] In 2017, a complaint was laid against Stuff and The New Zealand Herald regarding 'recommended' and 'promotional stories' sections which appears at the bottom of articles.

The council upheld the complaint under the principle of accuracy, fairness and balance and the broader ethical considerations as the visual cues on the website 'are designed to confuse', however did not rule on the content as it is hosted offshore.

[13] In 2014, the council broadened its jurisdiction and began accepting membership from blogs, following a review by the Newspaper Publishers' Association.