2010 Shanghai World Expo.

        This must be one of the more unique issues New Zealand has ever done. They are almost like two stamps from two different countries which have somehow found themselves joined, grafted together, making one stamp.

        These stamps were issued to coincide with the opening of ‘Expo 2010 Shanghai China’. The theme of the Expo was ‘Better City, Better Life’ and New Zealand's pavilion follows this with the theme ‘Cities of Nature, Living between Land and Sky’.
        The issue draws on five parallels between New Zealand and Chinese culture and geography, and features illustrations inspired by some of the items in the New Zealand Pavilion. The stamps are double length and designed to be folded over the edge of special first day covers with two fronts and no back. See this cover further down.

2014 Native Seaweed.

On the 7th February, 2014, New Zealand Post issued this set of five value featuring species of native seaweed unique to the waters around New Zealand. Seaweeds are an essential part of the marine ecosystem, providing food, habitats and shelter to a wide variety of marine life. They come in many different shapes and colours as can be seen on the five stamps below.

2002 / 2014 The Year of the Horse.

      2002 and 2014 celebrated The New Year under the Chinese lunar sign The Year of the Horse. In both years New Zealand issued stamps and a miniature sheet to mark this event. Following on with my series of Chinese New Year issues I will be looking at both these issues in this post. When we reach the Year of the Horse for a third time I hope to include that issue here as well.

      See my complete collection of Chinese New Year Issues.

2014   The Year of the Horse.

        In 2014 NZ Post, followed what has be an annual issue, by issuing a set for four stamps and a miniature sheet for Chinese New Year. This time the theme was the horse since the year is the Year of the Horse.

       As has happened for the last few years, four stamps were issued, each showing a different aspect of Chinese culture. First is the pictogram on the lower value. The second value again shows the paper-cut horse.   

                                                 

    70c - Pictogram.                                                             $1.40 - Paper-cut Horse.

                   

     $1.90 - Equestrian.                           $2.40 - Rotorua Museum.