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]