The
Star began publication as the evening edition of the
Lyttelton Times on 14 May 1868.
A reliable but unremarkable newspaper, it nevertheless had some success in its early years with a Saturday night sports edition which immediately became popular. By 1914 the
Star was competing against three evening, two morning and two weekly newspapers, with the major competition over the next couple of decades coming from the
Sun.
In 1935 the Newspaper Proprietors Association helped broker a deal which saw New Zealand Newspapers Ltd (which owned the
Star and the
Lyttelton Times) purchase the
Sun. The deal saw the
Sun incorporated into the
Star, at which time it became known as the
Christchurch Star-Sun. Almost at the same time
Christchurch Times ceased, leaving the city with one morning paper (the
Press) and one evening paper (the
Star-Sun).
The
Star-Sun changed title several times and was called the
Christchurch Star when it ceased daily publication in 1991. The
Star continues to be published as a bi-weekly community newspaper.
[Source: Paper Past, National Library of New Zealand]
