2003 The Royal New Zealand Ballet 50th Anniversary

        I've always enjoyed the Ballet but living in a rural area not always get the chance attend every show. On the internet, that of course, has changed. There is a lot on UTube worth watching and on other sites too. But there is still something special about a live show.
       Many struggle to understand and enjoy ballet. I think other media such as movies and television have played a role in this by giving people a ready-made story complete with realistic scenes etc. There is no imagination involved. No chance to sit back and enjoy the skills and beauty that is found watching ballet. In the labels to the right, I have selected this as being a performing art as I believe that it is.

      This issue of five values marked the 50th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. That was back in 2003. Fifteen years later it is still going. Still turning out wonderful performances. Later in 2003, there was another issue featuring three of these stamps, The Bangkok 2003 World Philatelic Exhibition. This issue is also shown in this post.  

2001 Garden Flowers

          New Zealanders love their gardens, and to celebrate one of our favourite pastimes New Zealand Post created a series of stamps featuring six flowers that were bred locally. Three were local and international award winners – one named specifically for the International Year of Volunteers, one being the first in the world to produce this colour combination, and one for being the first yellow perennial petunia in the world.
          I love bright flowers and have planted many so I can grow them myself. I think to see some flowers as you walk past lightens the soul too. I have vegetables growing in the big garden and around the house are little gardens where I keep my flower plants. I went into the garden shop and asked the man for plants of many colours and all seasons. This is what I have and can enjoy. I try to spend some time each week, weeding, tending and caring for them.

2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee

        2012 marked a significant year for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as she celebrated 60 years as a dedicated monarch. New Zealand Post was proud to present the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee stamps to mark this prestigious anniversary. Official portraits (70c stamps) of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh wearing their New Zealand honours have been released to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

A used copy of the $2.40 stamp.

        The 60th anniversary of a monarch’s accession is known as a ‘Diamond Jubilee’, and it is certainly an occasion worth celebrating. Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee is only the second in the past 1,000 years of New Zealand and British history. The first was Queen Victoria's in 1897. Queen Elizabeth II’s coincided with Waitangi Day on 6 February 2012.
        Queen Elizabeth II has close links to New Zealand and is the first monarch to adopt the title Queen of New Zealand. She has visited New Zealand on ten separate occasions, both officially and informally, and in the past six decades she had been actively involved in all aspects of New Zealand life.
         Featuring silver foiling on metallic silver ink, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee stamps reflected this prestigious anniversary. Each of the six stamps in this highly collectable stamp issue reflected Her Majesty's close association with a dedication to Aotearoa. From the official 2012 portraits to photographs of the Queen's various tours of New Zealand, this was a stamp issue worth celebrating.
        This stamp issue wouldn't be complete without a miniature sheet and first-day covers. The first-day covers featured the official New Zealand portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as the official New Zealand Diamond Jubilee emblem. They were the perfect accompaniments to the set of stamps.

Government Life Insurance - Summary.

Asami here.  (Nov 2017)
           As part of the current building of many parts of this blog, this summary of the Lighthouse Life Insurance series has been moved from its page in the top bar to a normal post. This means it can be now be found via our labels in the sidebar or via the Index/Groups of Posts page.

Hi, Asami here.  (Feb 2015)
           For my next project, I will be doing this job for Mary. Currently, she is doing a series on the stamps issued by the Government Life Insurance Department/Office. I have been asked to lay out a page of all the lighthouse issues, with links to and from each issue. At the same time, I will be adding forward and back navigation links so you can move between the various posts/issues.

Here is Mary's opening to her first Lighthouse post:-
         The New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department was opened in 1869 and started issuing its own stamps in 1891.  Up until that time The Insurance Office, in common with other Government services, had enjoyed franking privileges, paying an annual amount to the Post and Telegraph Department to cover the cost of postage on its correspondence. 
         The decision to issue the stamps was the result of a dispute between the two Departments regarding the calculation of postage costs. The matter was referred to an arbitrator but the Insurance Department insisted on paying future postage costs by the purchase of postage stamps. 
         To ensure that these stamps were only used for their intended purpose, they had to have a very distinctive design. Since the symbol of the Insurance Department was a lighthouse, all Government Life Insurance Department stamp designs have featured lighthouses. So actually this was more like a personalised stamp, being printed and issued by the Post Office but only used by the Insurance Office.

2000 Kiwiana II Booklet

Kiwiana II Mint Set.

In 1994 New Zealand Post issued the first Kiwiana stamp series – a light-hearted tribute to the foods, toys, sports and lifestyles that define New Zealand’s culture and attitude and set us apart from the rest of the world. From fish and chips to gumboots, these stamps enabled us to laugh at ourselves while appreciating and celebrating our special identity.

Kiwiana II was the sequel to this popular issue, featuring 10 more characteristics of everyday New Zealand life. It saluted the versatile li-lo, a pair of cosy ug boots, the gastronomic delights of the chocolate fish, the hot dog, the meat pie and the Anzac biscuit; and our summer necessities, the barbecue, the chilly bin, pipis (a seafood delicacy) and the classic Kiwi holiday home, the bach or crib.

1994 Kiwiana I Booklet

Kiwiana.

During the Second World War, nicknames were very popular, not only for individuals but also for the different forces taking part in the struggle. New Zealand's armed forces were differentiated from other forces such as Yanks, Poms and Boks etc by the name of New Zealand's famous flightless bird - the kiwi. The nickname stuck and the friendly appellation, "Kiwi", is still used all over the world when referring to people from New Zealand. From that nickname has come another word - Kiwiana - to describe those, sometimes, almost intangible things that contribute to the character and culture of New Zealand.

1994 Kiwiana I Booklet - Mint Example.

Food and attire immediately spring to mind when thinking about our most memorable pieces of Kiwiana. With the exception of the much-loved and admired Buzzy Bee, every stamp in this, light-hearted Kiwiana stamp issue featured New Zealand 'cuisine' or clothing. From fish and chips to pavlova, from a bush shirt to jandals, every item is a genuine part of our culture.

A se-tenant block of 10 x 45c stamps was issued as a stamp booklet featuring pavlova, pāua shell, hokey pokey ice cream, fish and chips, jandals, rugby boots and a rugby ball, bush shirt, black singlet and gumboots, Buzzy Bee and kiwifruit.

1993 Fastpost Booklet.

This issue relates to and could be considered part of the 1985 - 93 Bird Definitives. In fact, it was included in our post on that issue.

In 1993 there was a reissue of the 80c value, this time depicting the New Zealand Falcon. The purpose of this issue was booklets for Fastpost.  

The original Perf 14½ x 14 issued in 1993 was reissued in 1994 as a perf 12 variety. This variety was found only in booklet formats.  In 1995 another second variety appeared where one side of the stamp was imperforate on either the left or right sides - whichever edge was closest to the edge of the booklet. This should not be considered a flaw as it was intended to be issued like this which is why I have called it the second variety. First Day Covers were not issued for either of these two varieties.

New Zealand Falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae) - 80c

2002 Holiday Hideaways

       Whether you call it a 'bach' or a 'crib', for New Zealanders the very word conjures emotions and images suffused with warm, affectionate nostalgia. Long summers at the beach with family, swimming, fishing or relaxing with a book. 
       Our bach was out on the West Coast. Funny little place, not much room inside but with a covered deck out-back overlooking the beach. It didn't even have a lock on the door for many years. Nobody was going to take anything, just borrow if they needed it. The famous prison escaper George Wilder stayed there a couple of nights when he was on the run. Left us a nice note to say sorry about the food. No one really minded.
        Even when it rained there was still fun things to do. Card games, board games and picture puzzles. There was never a TV. Who would ever put a TV into a bach? Get the kids outside having fun, that was the way of the bach. The kids loved it, we loved it and we have some great memories of that place. 
         Sadly when my husband had his accident it had to go. Brought by a property developer who made us an offer we couldn't refuse. If only we'd waited six months longer. It would still be there today with us still the owners. 

2017 Te Reo Maori - Maori Language.

       Now, this issue went in a direction I did not expect. Recently I did a post on te reo Maori (Maori Language) 1995 Maori Language. In that post, we looked at six different ways te reo Maori was used, all of which were in more formal or traditional ways. Another post I did earlier this year was on the 2011 Kapa Haka issue. While this stamp issue featured Maori performing arts, te reo Maori is an important part of that. Both issues are well worth a look and along with all my other posts on Maori subjects can be found via our New Zealand Maori index.

       We live in a changing world, English, my mother tongue, is changing to be used in different ways with new words coming into general use all the time. In the same way, if te reo Maori is to remain relevant, it needs to change and evolve to deal with a modern and changing world. 

       Which brings us to this issue. 10 stamps showing te reo Maori being used in ways that would not have been imagined only a few years ago. In this issue, the examples have mainly come from computers and electronic communications. Notice how many of these new words are descriptive in nature. This is consistent with te reo Maori where many traditional words were descriptions of objects or ideas too. I've followed with the captions the NZ Post used as they explain each stamp better than I could but while doing this post I've come to view te reo Maori in a different and more positive way.

2017 Grow Your Own / Sustainable New Zealand

          It was becoming clear that neither of our main blog writers was interested in this set so someone had to do a post for it. I kind of like the issue and understand the reasons behind it too. I can see the idea of getting people, particularly children, out into the garden growing things. In this case, vegetables that are easy to grow but will make a healthy choice to many meals. I can also see NZ Post, a company facing declining sales due to fierce competition from the internet, looking for ways they can generate interest in their products. So I took up this issue and ran with it.

            

      Domestic Version. (Seeds)                                   International Version (Non-Seeds)