In 2003 and 2015 Chinese celebrated The New Year under the Chinese lunar sign The Year of the Sheep. In both years New Zealand Post issued stamps and a miniature sheet to mark this event. Following on with Allan's series of Chinese New Year issues, I will be looking at both of these issues in this post. When we reach the Year of the Sheep for a third time I hope to include that issue here as well.
Air New Zealand originated in 1940 as Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), a flying boat company operating trans-Tasman flights between New Zealand and Australia. TEAL became wholly owned by the New Zealand government in 1965, whereupon it was renamed Air New Zealand. The airline mainly served international routes until 1978, when the government merged it and the domestic-orientated New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC) into a single airline under the Air New Zealand name. 
Air New Zealand currently operates an international long-haul fleet consisting of mainly the Boeing 777 variant family, with Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft supplementing them. Airbus A320 aircraft operate on short-haul international routes (i.e. to Australia and the Pacific Islands), and on domestic routes alongside Boeing 737-300 airliners. 
The 1950s were a time of prosperity, comfort, full employment and a healthy economy. In contrast to the extremes of the previous decades, the 1950s gave New Zealanders much to be content about. 
It was a decade of enormous contrast. From the harsh tragedy and shortages of war ... to VJ Day ... to the enormous nationwide party which seemed to continue right through the latter half of the 1940s. The pendulum had swung. 
Those who were around in the 40s - as children, as civilians or in the services - will recall the extremes of war and the celebration of peace. It was a decade which saw New Zealand come of age. Fresh from the hardship of the 1930s depression, then plunged into war, we became a mature society with a developing sense of national identity. It was a turning point, as the 'New Zealander' - a person with national pride and values - began to emerge.
.jpg)
In my first post on the Queen Victoria Fiscal Stamps, we looked at a series of issues leading up to the famous 1880 Revenue/Postage stamps. In my second post, we looked at the 1880 set itself. Included in that post was a set of the stamps most commonly used for postage after these stamps were authorised for postal use in 1882. 
In stark contrast to the previous carefree decade, the 1930s brought hardship and strife to most New Zealanders. By the end of 1931 the country was firmly in the grip of a worldwide economic depression. It was not until Labour's landslide election victory in 1935 that the tide turned. Little did New Zealanders know that their bright new vision of the future would last just four years before they were plunged into the bloodiest World War in history. 
The 1920s were a good time to be alive. Sandwiched between World War I and the Great Depression, they were an oasis of peace and prosperity. They were boom years in New Zealand. The toll from war and disease touched countless homes and the losses would never be forgotten. But in this war-weary country, youth, both male and female, were ready to rebel a little, to test the limits of social customs. It was youth that became a force of its own for the first time. The arrival of the 'wireless', reliable motorcars, the cinema, The Invincibles and increased leisure time, combined with a post-war mood of release and optimism, created a period known for its love of fun and leisure activities.
The second series of Heritage Stamps comprised four issues during 1992 through 1994. Four issues about four decades, the 1920s, the 30s, the 40s, and the 50s. These were decades of change, a time when New Zealand grew to emerge as the nation it is today. It would be impossible to record every event over every ten years on six small postage stamps but that is not intended here. These issues are not recording history, they are recording cultural and heritage change. They try to capture the atmosphere, the mood of change within each decade, as well as recording events or inventions that helped drive these changes.
