2004 - Landscapes of Middle-Earth.

         Following the success of three Lord of the Rings stamp issues celebrating the three movies, NZ Post decided to issue one further series in 2004 featuring landscapes of Middle-Earth. The set of eight stamps depicted 4 different landscapes each as they appeared in the trilogy and as they appear today.  The locations are given below the stamps.

        Three movies filmed at the same time then edited and released over the space of three years, This was an amazing achievement for New Zealand. Even more so was the exposure it gave our country. Many people saw scenes of New Zealand for the first time. Many saw how beautiful the country was and decided to see it for themselves. A sub-tourism industry has grown up around has grown up around locations where the filming took place. Of course, everyone immediately thinks of Hobbiton near Matamata but there are many other locations around New Zealand as well. These stamps only show four of them which hardly does justice to the subject.  

1981 Government Life Insurance Office Lighthouses.

   Back to 1969 Lighthouses.                Government Life Insurance - Summary. 

        Special stamps for use solely by the Government Life Insurance Office were first issued in 1891, a lighthouse being incorporated into each stamp design. Over the years other issues continued this theme with both symbolic and actual lighthouses being shown.

        The inclusion of a stylised lighthouse on the 1981 Government Life stamp issue continued this theme that had always appeared on Government Life stamps since their inception.

         This would prove to be the final stamps issued by the Government Life Office as their postage stamps were discontinued in 1987 when Government Life Insurance became Tower Corporation. The symbol of a tower (lighthouse) was continued by the new company by their postage stamps were dropped. As can be seen below, Tower Corporation retained a large collection of stamps and other items related to Government Life Stamps.

Special Posts.

        There are some posts within this blog that must be considered special either because:-
                   1)  They feature a special or unique subject or event.
                   2)  They contain a very rare or unusual item. 
                   3)  A lot of effort and work has gone into the post.

       We have decided to list (max 25) of these posts on this page so they can be easily found and viewed. To make it onto this list, a post must be selected by one of the five writers involved in creating this blog, then voted in by all five of us. Just because it makes the list does not mean it will always stay there either.
      They are numbered but not listed in any particular order other than when they were selected for this list. While most of these posts have been published by either Mary or Allan, that doesn't mean the work of other writers couldn't be selected too. It just reflects the fact that posts on most of the more challenging subjects are untaken by these two writers.

1969 Lighthouses - Centenary of Government Life Insurance

Government Life Insurance - Summary. 

Back to 1967 Lighthouses.                         Forward to 1981 Lighthouses.



          1969 was the centenary of the founding of the Government Life Insurance Office and a new series of stamps was issued to mark this occasion. Lighthouses, the symbol of the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department, was again the subjects depicted on the stamps. You will be able to find all of these lighthouses on the map further down this page.

         Five of the stamps on the right, ½c; 2½c; 3c; 4; 15c; were issued at this time. Like the 1947 issue, the featured real lighthouses from the coasts around New Zealand. I have added photographs of each of these lighthouses and a map so you can find their locations

          Due to changes in postal demands, in 1976 the 8c and 10c were added to the set. Two years later, in 1978, the 2½c was overprinted with 25c.

2004 - 2006 Tourism Definitives.

Definitives Tour.

Back to 2003 Scenic Definitives                 Forward to 2007 Scenic Definitives.

       These two issues are included in the Scenic Definitive section of Campbell Patterson's Catalogue but to me they seem like they should be separate. They were put like that in the catalogue because they appear as a similar design to the definitives around that time, but I think that the fact they are marketed and named as stamps celebrating New Zealand Tourism means they should be treated as being different.
        So what I have decided to do is to include them in my Scenic Definitive Series but place them both in their own post. In this way I think I've covered both options.

2004 Tourism Issue.
Tourism is an important industry in New Zealand. I lot of money and effort is spent promoting this country as a tourist destination. Doing a set of stamps helps too, particularly when the stamps are sent overseas. This is the first of two issues, each showing six different scenes of tourist locations around New Zealand.


$1.50 - Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown.

2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

         The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is one of the world’s biggest international sporting events. In 2015 the tournament will be jointly hosted by New Zealand and Australia, and is expected to attract cricket fans from around the world. 

        To mark this big event, NZ Post issued a special miniature sheet featuring fourteen adhesive stamps and two First Day Covers, showing seven stamps each.

        This set of stamps consists of fourteen, cricket ball-shaped, self-adhesive stamps – one for each team competing in the ICC Cricket World Cup: New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, Australia, Scotland, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. Each stamp features team colours and imagery, as well as the official ICC Cricket World Cup logo.
        
       All these stamps show the office flag of their country except one. The reason a shamrock is shown on the Ireland ICC Cricket World Cup stamp rather than the Irish Tricolour flag is that the Ireland team was a joint team comprising players from the Republic of Eire and Northern Ireland.

1967 Government Life Insurance Decimal Overprints

   Government Life Insurance - Summary.

Back to 1947 Lighthouses.                         Forward to 1969 Lighthouses.

           Due to the change to decimal currency on 10 July 1967, a quantity of the 1947 Government Life stamp issue was overprinted by the New Zealand Government Printer with decimal values to ensure there would be enough stock to last through until 1969 when a new set of stamps was planned. Additional supplies were also ordered from Bradbury Wilkinson and Co.

           Only six of the original set were overprinted, with either a block spot or bars to cover the old value, with the new decimal value being added elsewhere in the design. I think this left a rather scruffy appearance, made even worse by a large number of printing errors that have been found.

           This set was one of the reasons why we have taken so long to include the lighthouse stamps in this blog because we struggled to find images good enough to be used. Even these below are not as good as we would have liked but they will do until we find better to use. Anyway, the history of the Government Life Insurance stamps is an important part of New Zealand's postal heritage so they need to be included in this blog.

2003 Scenic Definitives.

Definitives Tour.

Back to 2000 Scenic Definitives.                     Forward to 2004 - 2006 Tourism Definitives.

       The 2003 Scenic Definitive issue consisted five gummed stamps and one in adhesive format. They were an add-on to those issued in 2000. Again scenes were selected were from various parts of New Zealand. The issue included a limited edition with silver foil in the NZ Post silver fern logo. Lower down under 2004 we have two further designs and three changed to adhesives.

          

50c - Ailsa Mountains.                                   $1.00 - Coromandel.

1947 Government Life Insurance Lighthouses

Government Life Insurance - Summary.

Back to 1913 Lighthouses.                         Forward to 1967 Lighthouses.

                

    1891 with 'VR.'                                                 1913 without 'VR.'

          When special stamps for use by the Government Life Insurance Office were first issued in 1891, a lighthouse was incorporated into the original design, the lighthouse being the emblem of the Life Insurance Office. The original design also carried the letters "V R" after the reigning Queen Victoria. Later issues of this design had the VR removed. Examples of these plus links to my pages on each of these are shown above.

         In 1947 the old style Government Life Insurance stamps were replaced with a new series showing actual lighthouses. There were eventually eight stamps in this set. Seven were issued in 1947 and another one issued in 1963. These stamps used an effective two colour design to produce an attractive, and for its day, very modern appearance. Some of them also showed that light beam as had been a feature of the earlier Life Insurance stamps.

        These first stamps were issued in the name of the Government Life Insurance Department, but under provisions of the Government Life Insurance Act, 1953, the name was altered to Government Life Insurance Office.  The first stamp appearing under the new name was the 2 1/2d "Cape Campbell" issued on 4 November 1963.

1968 - Trade Definitives.

         This is the third of a series of three that I am doing on the Agriculture Industries of New Zealand. In the first one, the 1936 Chamber of Commerce, we looking at the four major export industries of the 1930s. Of course these were primary industries, mainly farming of sheep and cattle.

1936 Chamber of Commerce.

1968 - 1969 Trade Definitives.

        Now I find this set of Trade Definitives has a lot in common with that earlier set. The wool, the meat and dairy are back again. So is the apples and the general theme of export industries. But now fishing and timber has been added too. I have included both sets above for comparison.
        Of course these stamps have a more modern appearance, using colour and photographs to deliver their message. The idea of the insert is there again too, but this time a lot bigger, taking almost a third of the stamp.

Mitre Peak, Milford Sound.

Hi! My name is Asami.
        You may not have noticed but I have been doing a lot of work on this blog. I maintain the Health Stamp pages above because they contain internal links that can get rewritten by BlogSpot. I have also created that large index system that many of you are now using. Now I have been asked to do some thematic collections, collections of stamps with a similar theme.

        Recently Allan wrote that he thought there were five stamps showing that famous landmark, Mitre Peak, Milford Sound. I actually found 10 stamps so today I will be putting them into this collection for you.

First the subject of this post - Mitre Peak.
       Part of the reason for its being so famous is its location. Sitting across from the main Milford Sound tourist centres, it is a stunning sight rising near vertically to 5,560 feet (1,690 m), i.e. just over a mile, from the water of the sound. It is said to extend further under the water making the mountain much higher than its officially recorded height. The peak is actually a closely grouped set of five peaks, although from most easily accessible viewpoints it appears as a single point.
       The distinctive shape of the peak gives the mountain its name, after the mitre headwear of Christian bishops. It was named by Captain John Lort Stokes of the HMS Acheron. The Māori name for the peak is Rahotu. 

1978 Agriculture - Lincoln College Centenary

         I hesitated on doing this set because of the style of the stamps but then decided that the themes behind the designs are important to Agriculture and New Zealand's primary export industries.

         In 1978 Lincoln College celebrated its centenary. NZ Post marked the event by issuing this six value set. They also wrote on their web site:-
       "The College was founded in 1878 on 100,000 acres of pastoral land that had been set aside for the purpose by the Provincial Council of Canterbury. Mr W E Ivey was appointed the first director of the College.  Grassland farming is New Zealand's most important industry and the source of over 80 percent of the country's exports.  The College continues to develop its resources to meet the challenges of modern agricultural needs - through the application of the findings of research, use of machinery, topdressing of pasture and efficient agricultural management."

         Technology and knowledge are the keys to modern faming in New Zealand. New ways, new systems, new technology is being developed all the time. The problem for the New Zealand farmer is keeping up with it all. Some, like some of the smaller farmers around here, avoid everything new and stick to the ways they have always done it. Others like us, with the support and backing of a corporate investment company, take on and use new technology, new ideas. The result is the small farmer gets the same results he has always got, then can't understand how our average production per head has increased by nearly 20% compared to his.
         This knowledge can be gained from a variety of sources such as Magazines and Books, TV Shows, Field Days and Open Days. It can also be gained through education at farming schools, colleges and universities. Two of the staff who work for me currently attend a school one day a week, plus have assignments to do. As they progress through the various subjects I can see the changes in the way they view farming and go about their daily tasks.  

2000 Scenic Definitives.

Definitives Tour.

Back to 1995 - 1997 Scenic Definitives.                   Forward to 2003 Scenic Definitives.

         The second post of our Scenic Definitives will only cover one year, 2000. The six value 2000 issue of Scenic Definitives was designed as an add-on to the previous 1996.97 issue which was still currently on sale. The stamps were issued in two sets, 4 values in March 2000 and the remaining 2 in October. In between, in April, the $1.10 stamp was reproduced in an adhesive format.

6 March 2000.

        

The Otago Peninsula - $1.00.                           The Kaikoura Coast - $1.10.

1913 Government Life Insurance (Without 'VR')

Government life Insurance - Summary.

Back to 1891 Lighthouses.           Forward to 1947 Lighthouses.

       When I came to write about the early lighthouse sets I was under the impression that they were two simple sets, issued in 1891 and 1905. But then a study of the Campbell Patterson Catalogue revealed they were far more complex than I ever imagined. There were the 1891 issue and another in 1913. Between these were two stamps that didn't seem to fit with either group.

        My stamp collection, which was started by my grandfather and continued by my father had these stamps arranged in two groups as most simple catalogues would show them. My father did a major re-arranging and re-mounting of the collection about 40 years ago. This is mostly how the older stamps are today, although I intend to redo them at some point. I still have the much older albums from my grandfather so I had a look in those. Of course, there were no stamps but you could see where he had laid out the stamps by date and his handwritten notes on each one. He had also placed the 1905 & 1906 stamps as a separate group. For the 1905 2d Chestnut there were locations for three examples in my grandfather's album while in my father's album there is only one.

         It was at this point that I made an amazing discovery. I have a copy of the 1905 2d Chestnut. Campbell Patterson values this stamp at $8,750 for unhinged mint and $5,000 for hinged mint. I found I had a hinged mint copy in my album. I went to the set of stock books where a large number of surplus stamps were kept and discovered that I had two more copies of this stamp, one mint and one used. Gently lifting the mint one out revealed it to be fine unhinged mint. Wow, that was amazing.

         So according to his notes, my grandfather considered the 1905 2d chestnut and the 1906 1d blue to be separate from the other groups for two reasons. First, they didn't fit into the 1891 group because they have no 'VR". Secondly, they didn't fit into the 1913 group because they were issued and used before Government Life Insurance stopped using their own stamps for the period 1907 to 1913.  (See below) That is how I have laid them out here. They were at the end of my first post and I have also included them here, at the beginning of this post, but I consider the 1905 - 1906 stamps to be a separate issue.   

1891 Government Life Insurance (With VR)

Government Life Insurance - Summary.         Forward to 1913 Lighthouses.

         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. In the rays of the lighthouse are the words "State Security" and the letters "V R" are shown in the background, behind the lighthouse. So actually this was more like a personalised stamp, being issued by the Post Office but only used by the Insurance Office.

         The stamps were designed by WB Hudson (Life Insurance Department) and J F Rogers (Government Printing Office) and engraved by A E Cousins. The plates were then made at the Government Printing Office. The following values were issued: ½d, 1d, 2d, 3d, 6d and 1/- (1s). 

         The first issue was perf 12 x 11½ and was issued on rather poor quality paper in which the watermark has a 4mm gap between the NZ and star. This paper was also used for the Second Side-face Issue and often collectors referrer to it as the insurance paper. You will notice the poor quality of these stamps below with faults like colour variance, poorly centred stamps and ragged perforations.

1995 - 1997 Scenic Definitives

Definitives Tour.

Back to 1994 $20 Mt Cook Definitive.                              Forward to 2000 Scenic Definitives.

        In 1995 New Zealand started issuing a new series of scenic definitives. This series continues until today with some amazing stamps being released over the years. Take that stamp to the right of the mighty kauri tree Tane Mahuta 'Lord of the Forest'. A stunning photograph with so much detail on such a little stamp. Over a period of time, I intend to post all of these stamps on this blog in a series of pages like this one below. 

        Tracking modern Definitive issues has become a lot harder as they are no longer issued in larger sets like they once were. So a collector has the choice of trying to group them over a period of a few years or show them in his collection according to date of issue. In presenting groups of stamps in this blog, we have a similar problem.
        (You may wish to check out our post on 1985 - 1993 Native Bird Definitives to see how much it took to sort that lot out!) 

       This post will cover the Scenic Definitives issued over the period 1995 - 1997. There were other definitives issued during that period but we have chosen to present only the scenic ones. The first stamp in this collection appeared in October 1995 and the last one in February 1997. Not a long period I know - a little over 1 year but there were some great stamps.

       We have also included the three miniature sheets, issued for stamp exhibitions, that also featured these stamps. There are two other items, a special booklet issue and some adhesive stamps too. I also plan to throw in any other items of interest that I might come across as I prepare this post.

1929 Health Issue.

This issue can be viewed in our Health Stamp Collection

Health Stamps - Part One (1929 - 1930)

                          

The First Health Stamp.                                        Dr Elizabeth Gunn.

                                                                                 (1969 Health Issue.)

         The story of this issue begins much earlier on the 25th November 1919 when a Wanganui School Medical Officer, Dr Elizabeth Gunn, took 55 children to a farm near Marton, where they camped for three weeks under canvas. The camp was a great success so she continued with these camps each year up until 1930. Others around New Zealand took up the idea as well which became the beginning of Health Camps in New Zealand.

1936 Chamber of Commerce.

         This post is the first of three I will be doing on New Zealand primary export industries. This issue is the 1936 Chamber of Commerce while the second will be a set of 6 stamps issued in 1968 Trade Definitives. The third will be the 1978 Agriculture / Lincoln College Centenary. All three of these stamp issues are whole devoted to the Agriculture Industries. 

        The five stamps of this issue commemorate the Congress of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, held at Wellington in October 1936. The Congress, first
convened in London in 1855, was a triennial event and this was the first occasion it had met in New Zealand.

        The stamps show the four main exports from New Zealand in the 1930s. When I was given this stamp issue to write about, Allan said do that thing you do about cows and sheep. Ok then Allan, you want my thing. LOL here goes.

2015 - 175th Anniversary Treaty of Waitangi.

          6 February 2015 marks the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand Post marked this significant milestone with a commemorative stamp issue.

                                      

          The Treaty of Waitangi is a document in Maori and English that intended to found a nation-state and build a government in New Zealand. It was signed at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands on 6 February 1840 by Captain William Hobson, several English residents and around 45 Maori chiefs. By the time the Treaty had been taken around the country for signing, approximately 540 chiefs from around 39 areas of the country had signed. The Treaty consists of nine documents in all – seven on paper and two on parchment.
          Different understandings of the Treaty have long been a subject of debate. However, today as Maori and the Crown are finalising the settlements of all major claims, the treaty is being seen in a different light, and is beginning to take on a more mediatory role rather than being a point of grievance.

           This over-sized commemorative stamp is a blend of the old and the new, combining a coin design by James Berry with contemporary Maori design.

           The central aspect of the stamp design depicts the figures of Tamati Waka Nene and William Hobson and is based on the Waitangi Crown – a coin minted in 1935. Though the coin was not technically a commemorative coin, it functioned like one and was sold for more than their face value. This coin was struck after the New Zealand Numismatic Society approached the government suggesting a new coin marking the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
On the stamp, Ngapuhi chief Tamati Waka Nene is seen shaking hands with William Hobson, the first governor of New Zealand.

          They are set against a backdrop of sculptural designs executed by Rangi Kipa, based on his development of two Northland designs of Unahi (fish scale) and Kiri Kiore (Pacific rat). The fish scale design references the value of the abundant sea life that formed a staple part of the diet sustaining the many Maori coastal communities and the Kiri kiore design is a visual metaphor that relates the beauty of the Kiore pelt to that of a finely woven cloak which had great value in Maori society.

An Official Post.

    

        The first 'OFFICIAL' stamps, stamps designed for use by Government Departments, was issued in 1882. In January 1907, the New Zealand government decided that all public service mail should use these special stamps overprinted with the word Official. It was not until 1913 that mint official stamps could be sold to the public.
         As this post will only show Official Stamps, that appeared in a number issues, particularly definitive issues, we have provided links to take you to full, more detailed posts on each issue.
                                                                            

1935 Silver Jubilee.

Silver Jubilee of King George V.

Victoria          Edward VII          George V          Edward VIII           George VI           Elizabeth II.

        When doing a post on a 1935 issue, I begin with a 1990 miniature sheet. "Why?" You maybe asking. Well my goal is first to give you the background story of the Royal Family before we focus in the George V Silver Jubilee issue. What better way to do it than this miniature sheet.
        After the very long and successful reign of his mother Queen Victoria, Edward VII came to the throne. Already being an old man, his reign didn't last long before he was succeeded by his son, George V. Three of the George V Definitives can be seen below.

                               

George V Definitives. (Three Examples)

Errors, Flaws and Varieties

         One of the features of this blog are the large number of stamps considered to be Errors, Flaws or Varieties. We have decided to create a page in our index to list these so readers can find them. They will be listed in chronological order with a brief description and link to their location.

       When Allan suggested the idea to me I went searching for what each of the items listed in the heading were. There seems to be a lot of confusion among stamp collectors. We maybe considered wrong here but we have agreed to call them as follows. Please feel free to leave us a comment below regarding this.
       A Error - This is a design error such as a spelling mistake or other such error in the design.
       A Flaw - This is an error made during the printing process, such as:- missing colour, colour or perf shift, ink marks caused during printing.
      A Variety - This is where one stamp in the sheet differs from the others. They include:- plate damage, plate retouches, design differences to the stamps.
                                                                                                                   Asami.

Total Listed here:- 630

1935 Pictorials

Definitive Tour.

Back to George V Definitives.                               Forward to George VI Definitives.

The 1935 Pictorial Issue.

         By 1931 several of the plates for the King George V definitive stamps were noticeably worn. Given that the design of the 1926 Admirals issue had been severely criticised, the authorities decided to try the same approach which had worked so well in 1898 - a design competition for a new set of pictorial stamps.

         Entries were divided into New Zealand subject groups: fauna, scenery, Maori art, agricultural, history and sport, then examples were chosen for the stamps being issued. Over 1,500 entries were received and designs from eleven contributors were included in the final set. Some unsuccessful entries can be seen at the bottom of this post.

         The stamps suffered a series of delays though - printing by photogravure was abandoned in favour of line etching with the exception of the ninepenny stamp which was the first New Zealand stamp printed by offset lithography. There were also issues with paper quality and the shilling stamp design was changed again just before issue. Finally, in 1935 the set was ready to be issued.

The Millennium Series - The Complete Series.

 First Heritage Series.                    Second Heritage Series.                    Third Heritage Series.

       There were three Heritage Series through the late 1980s and 1990s The First Heritage Series was a set of six issues lead up to the celebrations of New Zealand's 150th Anniversary in 1990. The Second Heritage Series looked at the four decades, the 1920s - 1950s, where New Zealand gained its own identity and emerged as the nation we know today. This is The Third Heritage Series, six issues leading up to the Year 2000. I am going to include the seventh issue in this series as it seems to fit with the basic theme of this heritage series marking the beginning of the century. 

Put together on a page like this they make a great record of New Zealand's Heritage. You can view the entire series on one page, then follow the links to learn more about each issue and the individual stamps. 

1999/2000 Millennium Series VI - The Last Sunset / A New Dawn.

Millennium Series V.     Millennium Series Overview.

                   

       The first of these two issues were not considered to be part of the Millennium Series. I added it, as it marked the event the Millennium Series was leading up to. It is a rather unusual issue called 'The Last Sunset,' which was created by taking on older issue from 1997 and adding a design overprinted on the selvage. The second issue seen here is the Millennium VI Issue, consisting of a single stamp, plus a FDC and a Miniature Sheet to mark the first sunrise, anywhere in the world, of the new century.