Here's why:
* Collective nouns represent a group of things as a single unit.
* In the context of time, "minutes" refers to a specific duration.
Example:
* Thirty minutes is a long time to wait.
* Ten minutes has already passed.
Important Note: If you are referring to the actual written records of a meeting (the minutes of the meeting), then "minutes" would take a plural verb because you are talking about multiple items.
* The minutes were distributed to the attendees.