It was one of only four independently owned daily newspapers in New Zealand[4][2] but was bought by NZME in 2024.
[1] Established in 1874 as the Poverty Bay Herald it was published biweekly in the morning by Carlile and Co.
In June 1875, publishing began tri-weekly, and changed again in October 1878 to become a daily paper.
[6] In mid March 2024, the Gisborne Herald and its website were acquired by NZME.
Since 1987, NZME had owned a minority stake in The Gisborne Herald Company.