June 2018. I will remember it for the birth of my third child. I'm in the birthing home for a few more days and can't get around much yet. Allan was here and heard me complaining about being bored. "Write up the latest stamp issue," he told me "That will keep you quiet for a while." So I went and checked it out.
Oh wow! The round kiwis are back. One of the first larger pages I did for this blog was the story of the Round Kiwis. They became one of my favourite stamp designs. I have all of them in my stamp collection. Now there are another five to collect.
1988 Round Kiwi. 2018 Round Kiwi.
New Zealand Post's popular Round Kiwi stamp has been refreshed for the eighth time, It has been 30 years since it was first launched in 1988 and so to celebrate, a new set was released. The issue features all five species of kiwi in their habitat - the brown kiwi, great spotted kiwi, little spotted kiwi, tokoeka and rowi – and in a range of vibrant colours. See our Round Kiwi Collection.
These stamps are considered to be definitives so at present there is no date set for them being withdrawn. I am sure they will be more popular with collectors rather than used as general definitive stamps. I also would expect some of the earlier issues might increase in value as new collectors go back to add them to their Round Kiwi Collection.
Kiwi are flightless, nocturnal birds endemic to Aotearoa. They emerge from their burrows after dark to forage noisily along the forest floor and sniff out worms and insects. Their nostrils are at the base of their bill and give the kiwi a superior sense of smell that makes up for its poor eyesight. Kiwi have been described as ‘honorary mammals’ because of their hair-like feathers, long tactile whiskers at the base of their bill, and their marrow-filled bones. Kiwi are also sometimes called ‘te manu huna a Tāne’ - the hidden bird of Tāne, the god of the forest. See our post on the Maori Legend - How the Kiwi Lost His Wings.
The Five Stamps.
$1.20 Brown Kiwi (Green).
The brown kiwi is the species many New Zealanders think of when kiwi are talked about. Familiar to communities in northern parts of the North Island, it is also the species most commonly seen in captivity. The brown kiwi usually lays two eggs a clutch, and lays one to two clutches a year, as opposed to the more usual one egg per clutch in other species. Sadly, predators and loss of habitat undo much of this good reproductive work.
$1.20 Brown Kiwi (Green) Variety.
This stamp also appeared in a booklet format. While the stamp itself remained the same, the booklet stamp has a taller frame than stamps from the sheet.
Sheet Example. Booklet Example.
$1.20 Great Spotted Kiwi (Blue).
Great spotted kiwi / roroa is the largest species of kiwi, found only in the northern South Island. Great spotted kiwi is New Zealand’s least known species of kiwi, but we know that their numbers are dwindling despite living in harsh environments where conditions are tough even for a stoat, dog or cat. At nesting time, incubation is shared between the male and female parents.
$2.40 Little Spotted Kiwi (Purple).
Little spotted kiwi is the smallest of the five kiwi species. The majority can be found on Kapiti Island, a bird sanctuary off the west coast of the North Island. Through successful translocations, Little Spotted Kiwi are also now found on several other predator-free offshore islands, and in Auckland’s Shakespear Sanctuary and in Wellington's Zealandia Sanctuary. Male calls are heard more often than females', but sometimes a male and female pair can be heard calling back and forth in duet.
$3.00 Tokoeka (Red).
Tokoeka has four geographically and genetically distinct forms: the critically threatened Haast, the mountain-loving northern Fiordland and southern Fiordland, and the Rakiura (Stewart Island) which is unusual among kiwi for being active in daylight. Rakiura offspring also act as 'helpers' with incubation by sitting on the egg for a small part of the day.
$3.60 Rowi (Yellow/Orange).
Rowi are the rarest of the five species of kiwi. There is only one natural population of about 550 rowi, which reside in Ōkārito forest and surrounds in South Westland. They can also be found on three predator-free islands near Cook Strait. Unlike some other kiwi species, male and female rowi take turns incubating their eggs. Rowi juveniles often stay with their family group for years.
Miniature Sheet and First Day Covers.
Native to New Zealand, the kiwi has called Aotearoa home for millions of years. New Zealanders are immensely proud of this special bird – so much so that we commonly refer to ourselves as ‘Kiwis’. The kiwi’s hair-like feathers, plump body, and long, curved beak make it truly distinctive.
The first-day cover offers a closer look at the intricate design depicting the North Island brown kiwi in its habitat. The miniature sheet first-day cover showcases the tokoeka, which is found in the South Island and on Stewart Island.
First-Day Cover - 4 July 2018
Miniature Sheet.
Miniature Sheet FDC - 4 July 2018
Other Collector Items.
2018 Round Kiwi - Plate Blocks. 2018 Round Kiwi - Value Blocks.
2018 Round Kiwis - Set of Full Sheets.
Macao 2018 Exhibition.
One of the miniature sheets for this exhibition featuring 3 stamps from 2018 Round Kiwis.
Bangkok 2018 Exhibition.
One of the miniature sheets for this exhibition featuring 3 stamps from 2018 Round Kiwis.
Technical information.
Date of issue: 4 July 2018.
Number of stamps: Five gummed stamps.
Denominations: Two x $1.20, $2.40, $3.00 and $3.60.
Stamps and first-day cover designed: Dave Burke, Auckland, New Zealand.
Printer and process: Southern Colour Print, New Zealand by offset lithography.
The number of colours: Four process colours.
Stamp size and format: 33mm diameter (round).
Miniature sheet size and format: 170mm x 90mm (horizontal).
Paper Type: Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper.
The number of stamps per sheet: 20.
Perforation gauge: 14.48.
Period of sale: Since these stamps are considered definitives unless stocks are exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until further notice.
Period of sale: The first-day cover will remain on sale until 3 September 2018.
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
Information & images for this post came from.
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