1999 New Zealand Art - Doris Lusk

Doris Lusk is one of a small group of important New Zealand painters who emerged during the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. Throughout a highly productive painting career that spanned five decades, Lusk explored both landscape painting and portraiture.

The four stamps covering 1948 - 1982.

1996 Atlanta Olympic Games

Five stamps and the miniature sheet.

1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

In July 1996, the Centennial Olympic games were held in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. Five sports in which New Zealand was represented were featured on the stamp issue. Each of the five stamps, designed by Stephen Fuller, has a border in the colour of one of the five rings which make up the universally known Olympic logo. Blue, black and red in the top row with yellow and green on the row below.
New Zealand was ranked 26th at these Games with 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze, making a total of 6 medals.
Our Olympic & Commonwealth Games Stamp Collection.

1998 New Zealand Art - Peter McIntyre

        

        This tribute was the second in the New Zealand Art series and followed on from the inaugural issue in 1997 that paid tribute to the genius and striking originality of Colin McCahon.

        This issue featured four works from throughout Peter McIntyre’s long and illustrious career. Peter McIntyre (1910-1995) was the best known New Zealand artist through the middle decades of the 20th century. 

1997 New Zealand Art - Colin McCahon

       McCahon was born in Timaru but spent most of his life in Auckland, where he worked at the Auckland Art Gallery and taught at the Elam School of Art. He began as a landscape painter, and from this, a visionary style evolved featuring the placement of religious images and words against New Zealand landscape backdrops. His painting career spanned five decades.
       Few other 20th century New Zealand painters have received the international respect and admiration that has been accorded to Colin McCahon (1919-1987). The distinctive power and originality of his images have made him a giant of New Zealand painting.

The four stamps of this issue cover the different periods of his painting career as his style and emphasis changed over time.

1995 Famous New Zealanders

For such a small nation, New Zealand has produced a surprising number of great achievers, famous in a wide spectrum of endeavours and deserving of their prominence and respect in the eyes of fellow New Zealanders and the rest of the world. 

The full set of six stamps.

Redeemable Tear-tabs for Collectable Souvenir Cards
These stamps were issued with small removable tabs next to each stamp. (See the set of stamps above.) Each tab measured 10mm x 30mm. These tabs were perforated like the stamps and carried the promotional message 'Stamp Month October 1995'. These tabs were for a special promotional offer - customers could collect 10 tear-tabs and send them in (affixed to an entry card) to receive a souvenir card in return.

2007 Clever Kiwis

Kiwis have a remarkable history of turning great ideas into reality – creating ‘world first’ products and techniques that transform the lives of people and businesses around the world. From road surfaces to kitchen appliances, computer technology to bungy jumps, motorbikes to underwater aquariums, we’ve seen the challenges and come up with the solutions. It’s ‘Kiwi can do’ at its best – and it was celebrated in these five stamps - they featured five of New Zealand’s most successful inventions.

2008 Sir Edmund Hillary

         Sir Edmund Percival Hillary KG, ONZ, KBE (20th July 1919 – 11th January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On the 29th of May 1953, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

2008 150th Anniversary of Kingitanga

150th Anniversary of the Maori King Movement.

For other stamps with Maori themes see our New Zealand Maori.

Faith, Love & Law.

         The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some Māori tribes in the 1850s to establish a symbolic role similar in status to that of the monarch of the British colonists. The position of a Māori monarch is a non-constitutional role with no legal power but it is a symbolic role of great prestige (mana). Since the 1850s the role has been vested in the Tainui iwi (tribe), centred in the Waikato region, who agreed to guard the position when it was created. The current Māori monarch, Tuheitia Paki, is descended from the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, and was elected in 2006. His official residence is Turongo House at Turangawaewae Marae in the town of Ngaruawahia.
         Since it was established, the Kīngitanga movement and influence has expanded and now is recognised and respected by Māori in many parts of New Zealand today. Some iwi such the Ngapuhi iwi of Northland are strongly against the Maori king movement and find the use of the name "Maori King" offensive.
        While the Maori King has no direct connection with the New Zealand Government regarding the legal decision-making process, he/she is often consulted and advice taken on matters concerning Maori. It is also usual, but a tradition of respect rather than set in law, that the British monarch and the Maori monarch will meet if they are in the same country.          
         The position of Māori monarch is not hereditary in principle. The monarch is appointed by the leaders of the tribes involved in the Kīngitanga movement on the day of the previous monarch’s funeral and before the burial. However, to date, all Māori monarchs have been direct descendants of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the first Māori king, and each monarch has been succeeded by a son or daughter. 
         This position has been held by Pōtatau, Māori King (1856 – 1860); Tāwhiao, Māori King (1860 – 1894); Mahuta, Māori King (1894 – 1912); Te Rata, Māori King (1912 – 1933); Korokī, Māori King (1933 – 1966); Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Māori Queen (1966 – 2006); Tuheitia Paki, Māori King (2006 – ).

2009 New Zealand Champions of World Motorsport

  '

       Kiwis are known for their adventurousness, so it’s no surprise that we’ve produced some of the world’s fastest racing car drivers and motorcyclists. Motorsport has been part of our lifeblood since cars first arrived on our shores, with fans turning out in their thousands to watch – spellbound by the vehicles, the speed and the battle for glory.
        New Zealand Post produced this issue of five gummed stamps and two adhesives. Also included in the issue were a miniature sheet, miniature sheet first day cover, and for the first time since 2005, a series of five postage-included souvenir cards (maximum cards). The maximum cards featured the champion's portrait, their stamps and an action shot. 

1992 Navigators

        The Navigators issue recognised the voyages of Abel Tasman and Christopher Columbus, two of history's foremost explorers and navigators. The issue marked the 350th anniversary of the sighting of New Zealand by Tasman and the 500th anniversary of Columbus' sighting of the Americas. Although 150 years apart, the two landmark oceanic expeditions have much in common:

        Both explorers set out in small wooden boats, using unreliable methods of navigation in search of new lands and new trading partners. Overcrowded and unhygienic conditions, long monotonous months at sea, poor diets and harsh punishments made life a mental and physical ordeal for Tasman's and Columbus' crews alike. Most interestingly both men misconstrued their own discoveries. When Columbus first sighted the Bahamas in 1492, he thought he had reached China, while in 1642 Tasman wrongly identified the west coast of New Zealand as part of the unknown southern continent.

1989 New Zealand Writers

This stamp issue pays tribute to the country's men and women of letters. Writers who have all made a remarkable contribution to our life, history and literature.

40c - Katherine Mansfield.
Born on 14 October 1888, Katherine Mansfield grew up with happy childhood memories of Days Bay, Wellington.  After studying music in London, she decided "I must be an authoress" and began writing.  In 1918, she married George Murray and that same year was diagnosed as having tuberculosis.  Her last five years were spent searching for a cure and, perhaps as a reaction to her illness, producing her most creative and fruitful writing.

1983 Rita Angus Paintings

This issue of stamps featured the works of Rita Angus whose meticulous compositions in oil and water-colours earned her the reputation as a leader of the modern school of New Zealand painting.

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.

For other posts on Maori Subject see our Maori Index.

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.

1995 Ross Dependency Antarctic Explorers

         After the 1994 Ross Dependency Definitives it was decided the demand for Ross Dependency stamps justified an annual issue. The first of these appeared on the 9th November 1995 and has continued until at least 2016.

        This first issue featured six famous explorers with their ships/aircraft in the background. These were interesting stamps, each with an exciting story of adventure to be told. Each explorer was selected because they had left their mark on the section of Antarctica we now know as the Ross Dependency.

        These stamps were not available for use on postage in New Zealand but the stamps and First Day Covers could be purchased from New Zealand Post via their Christchurch Branch where Ross Dependency postage was handled for dispatching to and from Scott Base in the Dependency.

        At the time of writing, I have been unable to find a good example of the First Day Cover for this issue. One will be added later if a suitable image comes available. Meantime I have included three images of the presentation pack issued for this set.

1979 Statesmen of the 19th Century.

Notable 19th Century New Zealand Statesmen were depicted on this se-tenant strip of three stamps. It could be said that these three men were "fathers of the nation" of New Zealand. From Sir George Grey who guided the country through the early Maori wars; to Sir Julius Vogel with his great infrastructure projects; to Richard John Seddon with his social reforms; these three men gave much to New Zealand. 

2016 Road to Rio

          Athletes from around the world united (on 5-21 August) at the 28th Summer Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They competed in 42 different sports, contested at 32 competition venues, spread across four regions of Rio. Since the inception of the first Olympic Games in 1896, our Kiwi athletes have inspired generations, winning a total of 103 medals - 43 gold, 19 silver and 41 bronze.

          ‘Be the Inspiration’ is the theme of New Zealand’s 2016 Olympic Games campaign. It tells the story of how we as a nation support and inspire our athletes as they prepare to pull on the iconic black singlet - which has been worn with pride by generations before them - and in so doing, inspire us.

         The Rio Olympic stamp issue consists of ten $1 stamps - representing the ten events that New Zealand has previously won gold medals in athletics, boxing, canoeing, swimming, equestrian, field hockey, triathlon, rowing, cycling and sailing. Featuring elements of the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s (NZOC's) ‘Be the Inspiration’ campaign, the photographs on the stamps reflect the New Zealand landscape as the athletes' training ground for future success.

See our collection Olympic & Commonwealth Games Stamps.

Famous Maori on Stamps

      For those who have accidently stumbled upon this page, this is a sub-index for our New Zealand Maori Index. It is our intention that it will soon become buried in this blog and only be accessed via the Maori Index.

Return to New Zealand Maori Index.

Famous Maori People on Stamps.

1968 - Tarapex 69 Capt. Cook Labels

       

          The organizing committee of the Tarapex 69 Stamp Exhibition decided to issue a miniature sheet of four labels for promotion of the exhibition and fund raising. The theme of three of these labels was Captain Cook since 1969 was going to be the Bi-centenary of Cook discovering New Zealand.

         This post is a small collection of this miniature sheet showing the exhibition cancels and some printing errors. There are also other covers and items related to both Tarapex '69 and Tarapex '86. While some might consider exhibition labels to be outside the field of postage stamps, it has been the policy of this blog to explore other areas of postal history as well. In saying this, we consider that labels that accompany postage stamps on a cover, must be well within the scope of this blog.

       You will notice that these labels did not carry any postal value. They were only used to promote the exhibition and raise funding through souvenirs. The later issue for Tarapex '86 did carry a postal value.

1973 Frances Hodgkins Paintings

           Frances Mary Hodgkins (28 April 1869 – 13 May 1947) was a painter chiefly of landscape and still life, and for a short period was a designer of textiles. She was born in New Zealand, but spent most of her working life in Britain. She is considered one of New Zealand's most prestigious and influential painters, although it is the work from her life in Europe, rather than her home country, on which her reputation rests.

           Born in Dunedin in 1869 Frances was encouraged to paint by her father.  She exhibited for the first time in Dunedin and Christchurch in 1890.  That same year she was elected a working member of the Otago Art Society.  Frances attended the Dunedin School of Art, subsequently gaining first class passes. During the period 1890 - 1900 she devoted most of her time to painting, exhibiting regularly. 

          In 1901 Frances left New Zealand to study and work in England and Europe although she returned home on several occasions to exhibit and to visit family.  She eventually settled permanently in England.  Frances Hodgkins died at Herrison House, Dorcester in 1947.  She was essentially an artist in the European tradition, and it is on her later work done in Europe that she is known for.

1969 Captain Cook Bicentenary.

This issue commemorates the bi-centenary of Captain Cook's first voyage to New Zealand.

The Captain Cook Bicentenary issue marked two firsts. For the first time in New Zealand, the set appeared in miniature sheet form with the values se-tenant. It is also the first time that embossing was used on a New Zealand stamp to make the portrait on each stamp stand out.

The Four Values.