2012 New Zealand Native Trees

The 2012 New Zealand Native Trees stamp issue features five gummed stamps which portray five iconic native New Zealand trees. Each of the beautiful species is depicted in a detailed illustrative style, showing flowers, fruit, leaves etc. and the scientific name of each species is included in the design – adding to the authenticity of the issue.

 

New Zealand’s isolation from the rest of the world has allowed its unique flora to evolve and flourish, resulting in the distinctive array of native trees present today. This high degree of endemism makes New Zealand’s native trees truly special, so much so that Conservation International has recognised New Zealand as a world biodiversity hotspot. Almost all of New Zealand’s native species of conifers, flowering trees and tree ferns occur nowhere else – resulting in native forests like no other on Earth. As New Zealanders we need to celebrate this unique treasure we have in our forests and landscape, which is what this issue sets out to do.

1965 Commemorative Issues.

It was my original intention to make this a small post featuring the four stamps from the Commemorative Issues of 1965 but other members of our blog team kept sending me interesting items which I wanted to include. Now it has grown to become quite a large post. But isn't that what the blog is about, finding something new or interesting in these often overlooked and unloved stamps.     ( Anne)

1965 International Telecommunications Union Centenary.

 New Zealand, in common with other members of the International Telecommunication Union, issued a special stamp in 1965 to commemorate the centenary of the organisation. The Union, which has its headquarters in Geneva, was formed in 1865 and is the oldest of the international organisations which are now specialised agencies under the United Nations. The purpose of the Union is to maintain and extend international co-operation in the use of telecommunications of all kinds.

9d - International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
The design shows a telegraph wire held by a post from 1865 on the left-hand side, while modern telecommunications from 1965 is shown on the right-hand side. In the centre is a globe show ITU as a global organisation.

2015 All Blacks.

There’s a certain mana and prestige that comes with being part of the All Blacks - it’s an honour reserved only for New Zealand’s very best rugby players. The ultimate symbol of the All Blacks is their iconic jersey, to which we pay tribute in this official All Blacks stamp and coin issue. Worn with pride for generations, the jersey has been some variation of a black uniform with a silver fern since 1893, and in 1905 the team became habitually referred to as the ‘All Blacks’. Although the jersey has changed many times over the years to keep up with the intense pace of our national game, the mana of the jersey continues to this day.

1981 - 1982 Scenic Stamps

1981 Scenic Stamps - Rivers.

See the full collection Scenic Stamps Series - Part One.
Four rivers and streams from a rushing mountain stream to a gently flowing river.

     

30c - Kaiauai River.                                       35c - Mangahao River.

1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Four.

 Definitive Tour.

Back to Elizabeth II Definitives.                                       Forward to 1967 Decimal Pictorials.     

          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part One.

                    A summary and overview of this issue with the stamps arranged issued order.

          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Two.
                    This second part shows each of the stamps again but now arranged by their value.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Three.                   

                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - low values.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Four.
                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - high values.

          1960 -1966 Pictorials Part Five.

                    Postal history items.

Flaws and Errors of the 1960 Definitives - High Values.

         Flaws and errors were very common in this issue and in our drop box library we have around 114 images. Some are double ups and others very poor quality so I'm unsure how many will eventually make it into the blog.

          Images of errors and flaws come from a variety of sources, often of different resolutions, so image size becomes a problem. Colour quality and accuracy is also a problem from some image sources too. We also tended to enlarge these stamps for greater clarity and detail of the errors. This often makes for an untidy looking page but we hope this will be overlooked in the interest of viewing some amazing stamps.

         This post will only show errors/flaws in the High values, 9d - New Zealand Flag up to the £1 - Pohutu Geyser. The lower values are on a separate post. 

1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Three

Definitive Tour.

Back to Elizabeth II Definitives.                                          Forward to 1967 Decimal Pictorials.

          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part One.

                    A summary and overview of this issue with the stamps arranged issued order.

          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Two.
                    This second part shows each of the stamps again but now arranged by their value.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Three.                   

                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - low values.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Four.
                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - high values.

          1960 -1966 Pictorials Part Five.

                    Postal history items.

Flaws and Errors of the 1960 Definitives - Low Values.

          Flaws and errors were very common in this issue and in our drop box library we have around 114 images. Some are double ups and others very poor quality so I'm unsure how many will eventually make it into the blog.

          Images of errors and flaws come from a variety of sources, often of different resolutions, so image size becomes a problem. Colour quality and accuracy is also a problem from some image sources too. We also tended to enlarge these stamps for greater clarity and detail of the errors. This often makes for an untidy looking page but we hope this will be overlooked in the interest of viewing some amazing stamps.

         This post will only show errors/flaws in the lower values, native flowers from ½d - Manuka up to the higher 8d - Rata. Errors/flaws for the larger values are on a separate post. 

1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Two

Definitive Tour.
Back to Elizabeth II Definitives.                                          Forward to 1967 Decimal Pictorials.

1960 - 1967 Designs in Detail.

This second part will show each of the stamps again but now arranged by their value rather than as in Part One by their issue date. Our purpose here is to consider the design and subject of each stamp.

              1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part One.

                    A summary and overview of this issue with the stamps arranged issued order.

          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Two.
                    This second part shows each of the stamps again but now arranged by their value.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Three.                   

                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - low values.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Four.
                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - high values.

          1960 -1966 Pictorials Part Five.

                    Postal history items.

Lower Values.
These stamps are more often than not arranged by their value. First comes the Low Values, the little ones in value and size, each displaying a native flower. They begin with the humble ½d going up to the 8d. Why wasn't the 9d included as one too? Back in the world of Sterling Currency 1/- (1 shilling) was equal to 12 pence. Stamps over 8d were not normally issued as mail charges of 10d or 11d could be made up using lesser values. 

                 

1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part One.

Definitive Tour.
Back to Elizabeth II Definitives.                                          Forward to 1967 Decimal Pictorials.

Overview of the 1st Series (Sterling).
This is the first of a series of posts on the large definitive issues of the 1960s.

          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part One.

                    A summary and overview of this issue with the stamps arranged issued order.

          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Two.
                    This second part shows each of the stamps again but now arranged by their value.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Three.                   

                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - low values.
          1960 - 1966 Pictorials Part Four.
                    Flaws and errors of the 1960 definitive - high values.

          1960 -1966 Pictorials Part Five.

                    Postal history items.

 

After the Queen Elizabeth II definitives of the 1950s by 1958 New Zealand was looking for a new definitive issue. In November 1958 the Postmaster-General announced that a new set of pictorial stamps would be issued progressively from July 1960.

A public competition was held to obtain designs and 1,072 entries were received from 268 competitors.  

The first stamps of this new definitive issue appeared in July, 1960. Two months later, on the 2nd September, another six values were added. Over the next few years, changes in postal rates would lead to another three values being added and two values were reissued with more colourful designs. Finally on the 10th July 1967, the entire issue would be replaced with decimal stamps using the old designs with new decimal values. 

1964 Road Safety Campaign

3d - Road Safety.

 This special stamp issue was made in support of National Accident Free Day as part of a road safety campaign. The stamp depicts a map of New Zealand with a road, divided by a dotted white line, from Bluff to the North Cape, symbolic of State Highway 1. On the left of the stamp a driver's hand firmly grasps a steering wheel.

1979 - 1980 Scenic Stamps.

1979 Scenic Stamps - Small Harbours.

 See the full collection Scenic Stamps Series - Part One.

                      

15c - Whangaroa Harbour, Northland.                   20c - Bon Accord Harbour, Kawau Island.

1962 - 1963 Communication Centenaries.

1962 Telegraph Centenary.

          This stamp issue celebrated the centenary of the introduction of the first telegraph service in New Zealand.

             

     3d - Hand Operating Morse Key.                                8d - 1960s Teleprinter & Teleprinter Tape.

Parliament Buildings

        This post can be looked at, as a thematic collection of Parliament Building stamps, or as a history of Parliament in New Zealand. Below is the miniature sheet of the 2004 - 150 Years of Parliament issue. Rather than grouping the stamps by their issue date, I'm going to arrange them according to the time period of the buildings they show. The 2004 issue will be our guide through this interesting subject, with the five stamps acting as headings to the various sections/time periods.

 2004 - 150 Years of Parliament.
Stamps were issued 3rd March 2004. 45c issued 5th May 2004.

Singapore 2015 World Stamp Exhibition

Singapore 2015 was the third World Stamp Exhibition to be held in Singapore. It was held in conjunction with Singapore's 50th year of independence, with the full support and patronage of the Federation lnternationale de Philatelie (FIP) and under the auspices of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately.

To mark this exhibition, New Zealand Post issued one stamp of a joint issue between Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. This stamp shows a great view of the New Zealand Houses of Parliament in Wellington. The other two stamps also included the Houses of Parliament in their respective countries. (See the miniature sheet below.)

1976 - 1977 Scenic Stamps

1976 - Scenic Stamps - Waterfalls.
See the full collection Scenic Stamps Series - Part One. 

          Four of New Zealand's most beautiful waterfalls are featured in this series of stamps. As depicted on the stamps, each is different in character, sinuous delicate tiers of Purakaunui in the far South Island, contrast with Marakopa in the North Island - a crashing curtain of water.

                   

               10c - Purakaunui Falls.                             14c - Marakopa (Marokopa) Waterfall.

2015 - UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

         New Zealand is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand, Tongariro National Park, and the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands. Tongariro National Park is located in the central North Island, Te Wahipounamu is located in the south-west of the South Island and the Sub-Antarctic Islands are found south of the South Island.

         This special stamp issue showcases these scenic locations in all their glory. Six colourful stamps, two of each area combine to make this one of the better stamp issues New Zealand has released.

         I have chosen to use extra large images to display the full beauty of these stamps then lower down smaller images accompany more detailed captions on the views shown. I know our blog owner Allan, is against using such large images but I feel they are needed here.

Thematic Collections

       One of the types of stamp collecting that has not been covered well with this blog is Thematic Stamp Collecting. Well, we actually do have some Thematic collections in this blog and more are planned by our team. This index will help you find them.
        The larger ones are shown at the top of our blog. These include the Health Stamps, Christmas Stamps and the New Year collections. Other collections, that are smaller and only occupy one page, you will find listed below.        (Asami & Kim)

1976 Anniversaries

Five anniversaries were commemorated by way of stamps in 1976. This issue continued what had become an annual issue of stamps marking anniversaries and other important events. Some issues, such as the set below were designed in a cartoon or graphic style. Some, such as Allan, the owner of this blog, have a strong opinion about this saying it does nothing for the message of the stamp. Since we have completed all the other 1976 stamp issues and no one else in our writing team seems interested, I have decided to create a post on this issue.  

"The stamp designs were what NZ Post called graphic representations of the various subjects and organisations they commemorated. This style seemed to be used over many issues from around this period. In some cases they worked well but in many cases they were a low point in New Zealand postage design."  Allan. 

2000 - Tales of Two Taniwha

For an index to all our posts on New Zealand Maori.

                               
Araiteuru.                                                               Tuhirangi

These two stamps come from the 2000 Spirits and Guardians issue. You will find the complete set of this issue in our Chinese New Year collection and in our post 2000/2012 The Year of the Dragon.. These two stamps show two famous Taniwha, guardians of the seas around Aotearoa (New Zealand).

1974 - 1975 Scenic Stamps

1974 - Scenic Stamps - Offshore Islands.

See the full collection - Scenic Stamps Series - Part One. 

Following on with the scenic theme of this series, in 1974 four offshore islands were featured. Once again I good variety were selected from the larger Great Barrier Island and Stewart Island to the active volcano White Island. The final stamp was the tiny Brothers Islands from Cook Strait.  

Notes on this page were based on notes from the NZ Post Web Site.

                  

2003 Military Uniforms

 

        2003 Military Uniforms was only issued as the miniature sheet format seen below. It featured 20 stamps showing figures in military uniform from the 1860s through to the modern uniforms of today.

       Some details and items, wore or used, are included on each stamp along the service medal likely to have been received. More details regarding each uniform were printed on the back of each stamp so beside each stamp we have also shown its reverse side.

        The top First Day Covers plus the full reverse sheet can be found at the bottom of this page.

        If you are interested in military stamps, you might discover more about New Zealand in our ANZAC Military collection. Links can be found in the navigation bar at the top of the page. 

1988 Rafter Paintings - Kowhaiwhai

 For an index to all our posts on The Maori People.

        Kowhaiwhai is an art form of the New Zealand Maori, found on the interior rafters of tribal meeting houses.  The rafters are seen as the ribs of the ancestor, whom the house personifies.  All the carving, weaving and artwork embellishing a meeting house relate the legends, history and beliefs of the tribe.

         Three colours dominated traditional designs - red ochre from crushed stone, black from soot, and white-blue grey from clay.  These pigments were mixed with shark oil to produce the paint.  Simple fibre brushes were used.  The Maori people believe their designs symbolise strength, new life, growth in knowledge and the breath of life.
         For a more contemporary view of Kowhaiwhai view our post 2015 Matariki - Kowhaiwhai.

         Four variations of traditional patterns were designed specially for this set of stamps.

1972 - 1973 Scenic Stamps.

1972 Scenic Stamps - Lakes.

See the full collection Scenic Stamps Series - Part One.
The first issue of what was to become the annual Scenic Stamp Issue appeared in 1972. This was a four value set depicting Scenic Lakes. 

                                    

1974 - New Zealand Day

          The Treaty of Waitangi was the climax of a long series of events which finally led the then British Government to establish the sovereignty of the Crown over the islands of New Zealand.  When Captain William Hobson arrived at the Bay of Islands as Lieutenant Governor, the northern chiefs were summoned to Waitangi for the purpose of negotiating a treaty.  After much explanation and discussion, forty-five chiefs signed the Treaty by drawing their moko, the tattooed design on each face, upon the parchment on 6 February 1840.

         In 1932, Governor-General Lord Bledisloe and his wife purchased and presented to the nation the run-down house of James Busby, where the treaty was signed. The Treaty house and grounds were made a public reserve, which was dedicated on 6 February 1934. This event is considered by some to be the first Waitangi Day, although celebrations were not yet held annually. It would not be until the 1940s that any real attempt was made to celebrate it, but even then, it was not considered a holiday. 

         In 1971 the Labour shadow minister of Māori Affairs, Matiu Rata, introduced a private member's bill to make Waitangi Day a national holiday, to be called New Zealand Day. This was unsuccessful and did not pass into law. After the 1972 election of the third Labour government under Norman Kirk, it was announced that from 1974 Waitangi Day would become a national holiday, known as New Zealand Day. The New Zealand Day Act 1973 was passed in 1973.

         For Norman Kirk, the change was simply an acceptance that New Zealand was ready to move forward towards a broader concept of nationhood. Diplomatic posts had for some years marked this day, and so it seemed timely in view of the country's increasing role on the international stage that the national day becomes known as New Zealand Day. At the 1974 celebrations, the Flag of New Zealand was flown for the first time at the top of the flagstaff at Waitangi, rather than the Union Flag, and a replica of the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand was also flown.
          The election of the third National government in 1975 led to New Zealand Day being renamed Waitangi Day, because, the new Prime Minister, Rob Muldoon, did not like the name "New Zealand Day" and many Māori felt the new name debased the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi. Another Waitangi Day Act was passed in 1976 to change the name of the day back to Waitangi Day.

For an index to all our posts concerning The Maori People.

1988 - Centenary of Electricity

         New Zealand's beginning as a nation was marked by the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. A little more than 25 years later, the first hydro-electric power was being generated by crude installations in the goldfields of the South Island.
         In 1888, one of these gold mining centres, now the town of Reefton, became the first community in the Southern Hemisphere to switch on to municipal hydro-electric power.  This was only six years behind similar developments in the United States of America.
        After Reefton, other pockets of private and commercial electricity generation were established throughout the country.  In 1904, a detailed survey of New Zealand's power potential described the country as "the powerhouse of the Orient".

2015 Matariki - Kowhaiwhai

         Typically featured in the whare whakairo (decorated meeting house) on the heke (rafters), kōwhaiwhai is an art form that is distinctively Māori, and unique to Aotearoa New Zealand. Issued to coincide with the dawn of Māori New Year, the Matariki 2015 stamp issue celebrates this ancient art form in a more contemporary setting.
        In this post I have shown the full set below so you an get an over-view of the designs. Further down we will feature each of the six stamps with more detailed notes on each artist. (Current images will be replaced when better ones become available.) Next there is an area of other items of interest, including the usual Miniature Sheet and First Day Covers. At the bottom just above the Technical Information is a 1988 issue that also featured Kowhaiwhai. 

See our Matariki Collection.                       See our Index - New Zealand Maori.