Suffrage - A Thematic Collection.

Feedback from the other writers is that this should be on its own page with links to all the other Suffrage issues and stamps. I have decided to quickly do this before everyone gets used to it being with the 2018 Suffrage issue.

Woman's Suffrage in Stamps.
(A small thematic collection.)

Katherine Sheppard / First Country with Women's Suffrage.
1990 Heritage Set 5 - The Achievers.

2018 Suffrage 125 Years Whakatu Wahine.

          When I was given this post I was a bit confused with the title. I knew "Suffrage 125 Years" is the celebration of an important social development in New Zealand. But then the second part "Whakatu Wahine." Was this a Maori themed issue? In that case, why wasn't Allan doing it? I was given some links to other pages in this blog, some images that had been uploaded to our image library and the information from the NZ Post website. Finally, he said, "Go for it Asami - show me what you can do." 

NZ Suffrage on Stamps - A Thematic Collection. 

First, let's have a look at that title.
The title: - English "Suffrage" - To petition or strive for - eg the right for women to vote in New Zealand's general elections.
"125 Years" - 1898 when women were given the right to vote.
Maori "Whakatu" - To stand erect, to establish, election or establishment.
"Wahine" - Woman or women.

These stamps were issued in Se-tenant Sets where the two stamps join together to show the full bloom of the white camellia, a symbol of the women's suffrage movement.

1996 MMP Elections

This special 40c stamp was released to commemorate New Zealand's first Mixed Member Proportional representation election that occurred in 1996. Part of the purpose of this issue was to promote the election and generate public interest.

40c - Beehive Ballot Box.

The stamp was a simple design, showing a cartoon view of what has become the symbol of New Zealand's government, Wellington's 'Beehive'. Also featured was the 'two ticks' logo signifying that, under MMP, each voter has two votes.

For more on this building, see our thematic collect - Parliament Buildings.

2006 Gold Rush

        In the middle and later years of the 19th century, miners in their thousands travelled to New Zealand from all over the world, drawn by excited reports of gold discovered and dreams of riches beyond their imaginations. Their arrival and the results of their toil were to have spectacular effects on this country’s social and economic fabric – effects that can still be seen today.

       For many hopeful prospectors, their dreams of wealth were fulfilled, with fields in Thames, the West Coast and Otago yielding this precious metal in abundance. Their successes led to more arrivals, with New Zealand experiencing unprecedented population growth during the gold rush years – increasing by 75% between 1861 and 1864.

       The gold rushes now rank as one of the most powerful stimuli ever for the New Zealand economy, with the South Island, in particular, reaping the benefits of its newfound wealth.

2005 Commemoratives

In 2005, New Zealand Post celebrated the invaluable and selfless work of three community-based organisations who celebrate key moments in their history. Through this issue, New Zealand Post paid tribute to the many thousands of New Zealanders who, as members and supporters of these three community groups, cared for those around them.

Six single stamps and four miniature sheets.

Let's look at them in more detail below.

1993 Women's Vote

Women being allowed the right to vote was a monumental change in New Zealand’s history. It was a change that was controversial at the time but went on to lead New Zealand into a much brighter future. What is also important to recognise is that New Zealand was a world leader in social change, one of the first countries to give women the right to vote.
This issue marked 100 years since women received voting rights in New Zealand.
NZ Suffrage on Stamps - A Thematic Collection. 

45c - The First Vote - 1893.

In 1893 nearly one in every four New Zealand women signed a petition urging Parliament to recognise their right to vote. In September that year, New Zealand women became the first in the world to be granted voting rights in general elections.

2017 He Tohu

      He Tohu is a remarkable new permanent exhibition in the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa in Wellington, that opened on 20 May 2017. It sheds new light on three iconic constitutional documents that shape our nation: 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni - Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand, 1840 Te Tiriti o Waitangi - Treaty of Waitangi and the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition - Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine.

    ( It came as a surprise when reading the March Campbell Paterson Newsletter, I discovered that NZ Post listed this issue as their 2017 Matariki Issue on a list of issues for that year. After the many great issues in that series, I'd certainly see these three stamps as a step backwards. Since NZ Post do not mention Matariki in their website notes on this issue, I have not decided if it should be included in my Matariki collection.    Allan )

Matariki - Maori New Year.

See our index New Zealand Maori.  

1990 Heritage Set 5 - The Achievers.

Back to Set 4 - The Ships.                        Forward to Set 6 - The Maori People.

Heritage Series Overview.

          This issue titled "The Achievers" was the fifth in the 'Heritage ' series of stamps leading up to the 1990 150th anniversary celebrations in New Zealand. The Achievers is a very special stamp issue which salutes some of the people from our past whose achievements have gone largely unheralded by the rest of the world - yet too many New Zealanders, they are legendary for their dedication and courage. Three woman and three men all who in their own way made a difference to the culture and heritage of New Zealand.