1980 - 1981 Definitives.

Definitives Tour.
Back to 1975 Pictorials                              Forward to 1980 - 1985 Definitives.

Here are two small definitive issues that don't seem to fit with the 1975 Definitives as it been too long since those stamps were issued. Since they don't seem to fit with the 1982 - 1985 Definitives either we have decided to include them on their own post.

Maori Leaders Definitives.


The 1980 Definitive issue featured Maori leaders who made a difference. In some cases, their good work continued, even up until today. The strip above shows used examples of these stamps while below mint copies are used.


The Stamps.

15c - Te Heu Heu Tukino IV.
A paramount chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribe, he gave the three central North Island mountain peaks of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu to the nation in 1887, the year before he died.

Pataatai was born in 1821, the second son of Te Heuheu Tukino II (Mananui) by his wife Te Mare. At the time of the landslide disaster in 1846 Pataatai was visiting relatives in the Waikato. On receiving news of his father's death, he returned for the tangi and was accompanied by the principal Waikato and Ngati Maniapoto chiefs. He assumed the name Horonuku (meaning “landslide”) in memory of his parents' deaths. Owing to his youth and comparative inexperience, Horonuku was passed over in favour of his uncle, Iwikau (Te Heuheu Tukino III), who thus succeeded Mananui as paramount chief. On Iwikau's death in 1862 Horonuku succeeded him and assumed the family title as Te Heuheu Tukino IV.

Horonuku was not a great soldier, but he was loyal to his own people and, by his gift of three mountain peaks, he deserves to be regarded as a public benefactor to the people of New Zealand. At the official opening of the Chateau in November 1929, a tablet commemorating the chief was unveiled. Dedicated by the Tongariro National Park Board to the memory of the Te Heuheu Tukino the inscription finishes with the words:-
“Ko Tongariro te Maunga;
Ko Taupo te Moana;
Ko Te Heuheu te Tangata”.
“Tongariro the mountain;
Taupo the lake;
Te Heuheu the man”.


25c - Te Hau-Takiri Wharepapa.
One of the chiefs who sailed to England in 1862 to meet Queen Victoria and returned with an English wife.

Te Hau-Takiri Wharepapa was born in 1823 and was one of fourteen Maori who sailed to England on the Ida Ziegler in 1863 to meet Queen Victoria, the trip was organised by William Jenkins, a preacher and former interpreter for the Nelson provincial government. In addition to meeting the Queen, the group of Maori also met the Prince and Princess of Wales and were used by Jenkins to demonstrate songs and dances while wearing traditional garments and ornaments.  While in England, Wharepapa met and married Elizabeth Ann Reid in St Anne’s Parish Church, Limehouse, London on March 31st, 1864. Elizabeth returned with him to New Zealand where they had five daughters. Elizabeth tired of the lifestyle and eventually left and married Charles Samuel Lakey.


35c - Princess Te Puea Herangi.
A distinguished tribal leader in many fields whose heroic efforts established the Turangawaewae Marae at Ngaruawahia. Princess Te Puea died at Turangawaewae in 1952.

Born at Whatiwhatihoe in the Waikato, Te Puea came from a family of rank, her mother, Tiahuia, being a chieftainess and eldest daughter of Tawhiao, the second Maori king. Her father was Tahuna Herangi of Ngati Apakura
She was a woman of action whose interest lay in community improvements. At Mercer in 1914, she was evolving her plans, but it was the move to Ngaruawahia in 1921 to establish the Turangawaewae Marae that paved the way for her work which stands as a memorial to her drive and energy. In 1928 she was the influence behind the construction of carved meeting houses there and in marae improvements of all kinds. Although help was obtained from outside the tribe, Te Puea insisted on sacrifices by Waikato craftsmen who responded by working for three years without payment. Similar sacrifices were asked of and given by, the men responsible for the dedicated task of canoe construction for the 1940 centenary celebrations.
Her main effort in social welfare lay in the development of Maori lands, where she set an example by taking part in the hard physical labour of turning idle lands into productive units. Te Puea's zeal and leadership led to the success of her land policy in spite of disappointments and lack of finances.


45c - Sir Apirana Ngata.
Maori leader, politician, statesman and scholar, he represented the Eastern Maori electorate in the House of Representatives from 1905 to 1943.

One of 15 children, Ngata was born in Te Araroa (then called Kawakawa), a small coastal town about 175 km (109 mi) north of Gisborne, New Zealand. His iwi was Ngāti Porou. His father was Paratene Ngata, a tribal leader and expert in traditional lore, and his mother was Katerina Naki, the daughter of an itinerant Scot, Abel Knox. Ngata was raised in a Māori environment, speaking the Māori language, but his father also ensured that Ngata learned about the Pākehā world, believing that this understanding would be of benefit to Ngāti Porou.
He gained a BA in politics in 1893, the first Māori to complete a degree at a New Zealand university, then gained an LL.B. at the University of Auckland in 1896 (the first New Zealander, Māori or Pakeha, to gain a double degree).
In 1905 Ngata contested the Eastern Maori parliamentary seat against the long-standing incumbent, Wi Pere. With solid support from Ngati Porou, Ngata won by over 750 votes. He was to retain the seat, surviving challenge after challenge, until 1943, becoming in that time 'father' of the House. He was a superb parliamentarian. A skilled debater, he could fill the parliamentary galleries whenever he rose to speak. He took his duties very seriously and shunned much of the social side of parliamentary life.
Apirana Ngata made a vital contribution to the revival of the Maori race in the early twentieth century. He used his knowledge of the Pakeha world and his professional skills to assist his people to develop and farm their land while also encouraging them to preserve their culture and maintain their own identity. His intelligence, tact, persistence and political skill brought him considerable success in this mission.


60c - Hakopa Te Ata-o-tu.
A warrior of high rank, who was captured and became a slave, being liberated later when the tribes embraced Christianity. 

Hakopa Te Ata o Tu was a descendant of Tahu Potiki, founder of the Ngāi Tahu people of the South Island and son of rangatira Te Momo Kakahu. He was born at Kaiapohia, south of Christchurch. According to evidence given by Hakopa in 1869 at a court hearing protesting the alienation of tribal land, he stated he had four children. 'Two go to school. After this, I won't send my children to school, because the land will be taken from the children'.
Held in high regard as a warrior, Hakopa was captured by Te Rauparaha after a hand-to-hand combat in which Ngāti Toa chief Te Peehi Tahau, was killed. The incident that caused the dispute was an argument over a block of pounamu, of which Ngāi Tahu Poutini are considered kaitiaki. To avenge the death of Te Peehi, Te Rauparaha mounted an attack against Ngāi Tahu, and both Hakopa Te Ata o Tu and his wife Te Ao Paki were captured. They were transported to Waikanae north of Wellington to become slaves to Te Rauparaha. Hakopa was later liberated when his captors embraced Christianity, and he returned to his homelands in Canterbury.
Hakopa is also remembered as a skilled pounamu carver and he died at his birthplace Kaiapohia in 1883.


First Day Covers.


Errors - Offset on Back.
Two examples of offset on the back caused by too much ink on the printed surface that didn't have enough time to dry before a new sheet landed on top. So the still wet ink transferred leaving a mirror image on the back of the upper sheet.




1981 Beehive Definitive.
In 1981 it was decided a larger value definitive stamp was required. This $5.00 Definitive Stamp depicts the executive wing extension to Parliament Buildings in Wellington, commonly known as the "Beehive".
See our thematic collection Parliament Buildings.

(Note: some catalogues include the $5 1981 Beehive Definitive stamp as part of the 1975 Definitive issues but many consider it separately. We've decided to include it here with the 1980 Maori Leaders issue and link from other posts.)


$5.00 - Beehive.

The only part of the originally planned complex for New Zealand's Parliament Buildings was constructed, and these were occupied in 1918.  The complete design included a south wing, a dome over the main entrance hall and statuary.  In the early 1960s, it was decided to provide a modern building as an extension of the old buildings, as the accommodation in Parliament Buildings had been inadequate for a number of years.

The Beehive, designed by the New Zealand Government Architect from a concept proposed by the prominent British architect, the late Sir Basil Spence, is a circular 11-storey building made of concrete faced with granite and marble and has a copper roof.  As well as Ministerial offices, the Beehive contains a banqueting hall, Bellamy's restaurant, a cinema, the Prime Minister's suite and the Cabinet room.


First Day Cover - 2nd December 1981.

$5.00 Beehive strip 3 superb used, this is a very scarce multiple to find used since $15 would be a lot of money for a letter or postal package.

A mint block of four 1981 Beehive stamps.

Technical information: Maori Leaders.

                            Date of Issue:26 November 1980
                            Designer:R M Conly, Christchurch
                            Printers:Heraclio Fournier, Spain
                            Stamp Size:25mm x 29mm
                            Sheet Size:100 stamps per sheet
                            Process:Photogravure
                            Perforation Gauge:     12.75 x 13
                            Paper Type:Unwatermarked

Technical information - Beehive Definitive.

                              Date of Issue: 
2 December 1981
                              Designer:
R M Conly, Waikanae
                              Printers:
Heraclio Fournier, Spain
                              Stamp Size:
25.5mm x 29.5mm
                              Sheet Size:  
100 stamps per sheet
                              Process:
Photogravure
                              Perforation Gauge:  12.75 x 13
                              Paper Type:
Unwatermarked


Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information for this post came from.