1991 Butterfly Definitives.

Definitives Tour.

Back to 1985 - 93 Native Bird Definitives.                              Forward to 1994 $20 Mt Cook Definitive.

         New Zealand is home to 23 species of butterflies. Butterflies belong to the insect order Lepidoptera, which is dominated by the butterfly's close relative - the moth. Butterflies resident in New Zealand display different shapes, colours and patterns and live in a wide range of environments, from forest floors and swamps, to domestic gardens and rocky alpine areas.

         During the early 1990s, a small definitive issue of five values was used with larger dollar value stamps. The butterfly definitive stamps were initially printed by Leigh-Mardon Pty Ltd. The House of Questa later reprinted the issue and these stamps may be distinguished by the differing perforations on the top and bottom edges of the stamps although the $1, $2 and $4 stamps also vary in size. The $4 and $5 stamps were not issued until January 1995.

        The House of Questa stamps were incorrectly listed as being Perf 13¾ x 14 in at least two other highly regarded catalogues when they are in fact 13¾ x 14¼. Volume X of the Postage Stamps of New Zealand (by the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand) confirms that 13¾ x 14¼ is in fact correct.

2007 Ross Dependency - 50th Anniversary Trans-Antarctic Expedition

       The 1955–58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South Pole overland for 46 years, preceded only by Amundsen's and Scott's respective parties in 1911 and 1912.
        In keeping with the tradition of polar expeditions of the "heroic age" the CTAE was a private venture, though it was supported by the governments of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Australia and South Africa, as well as many corporate and individual donations, under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth II. It was headed by British explorer Dr Vivian Fuchs, with New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary leading the New Zealand Ross Sea Support team. The New Zealand party included scientists participating in International Geophysical Year (IGY) research while the UK IGY team were separately based at Halley Bay.

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.

1987 New Zealand Post Vesting Day.

       Government services in New Zealand went through some enormous changes in 1987. One of the most significant of these changes saw the New Zealand Post Office split into three State-Owned Enterprises to separately handle the postal and agency, Telecom and the banking businesses of the former Government Department.

        New Zealand Post Limited formally took over the administration of the postal and agency functions from the New Zealand Post Office.  To mark the occasion of the establishment of New Zealand Post Limited, a set of two stamps were issued.

2 x 40c - New Zealand Post.

Two 40 cent se-tenant stamps depicted various elements of postal business from acceptance to delivery including bus, aeroplane, delivery van, postbox and handwritten pad - together with the new corporate logo. When these two stamps are placed together, they tell a story of mail service within New Zealand.

1987 Fibre Arts

 
      This issue features a Maori view of the use of natural fibre is the subject of this four stamp issue, designed by Nga Puna Waihanga (an organisation of Maori artists, writers and designers). The designs featured on these stamps are graphic representations that embrace broad concepts of the working of fibre such as knotting, binding and plaiting.

       To the Maori people, indigenous fibres had qualities embracing all aspects of living as well as providing a medium for art and craft.  Cultivation, harvesting and preparation methods and rituals were carefully adhered to by Maori people and reflected the extent to which they depended on fibre products for trapping, snaring, cooking, storage, building, clothing and other utilitarian purposes. Today, Maori weaving and crafts have taken on the new purpose of an art form and training medium for young people.

All my other posts on Maori subjects can be found via our New Zealand Maori index.

1987 Tourism

       Tourism is a high profile, growth industry.  Facilities are bursting at the seams with foreign tourists, and investors and developers have responded by pouring millions of dollars into new hotels and other facilities at holiday resorts.  There is an ever increasing number of tourists seeking outdoor adventure in New Zealand so in 1987 the Post Office played its part in promoting New Zealand overseas by issuing a set of six tourism stamps.  The theme of the stamps underlines a significant development in New Zealand tourism.
       This issue was designed to promote tourism overseas so it didn't include the value for the current standard letter rate within New Zealand at that time. All the stamps have denominations for overseas postage to various parts of the world. In this way, New Zealand tourism, with activities for visitors to New Zealand on each stamp, would be promoted overseas.

        Personally, I feel the appearance would have been improved if sharp photographs of the various activities had been used. Images such as these were all I could find either mint or used.

2006 Ross Dependency 50th Anniversary Antarctic Programme

        For the few inhabitants of a wedge-shaped piece of land at the very bottom of the world, 2007 marked a very significant milestone. The land is the Ross Dependency, the people are the teams at New Zealand's Scott Base and USAs McMurdo Sound Base, and the milestone is the 50th anniversary of the New Zealand Antarctic Programme, which continues to maintain a unique focus on scientific research in the area.

1991 Sheep Breeds of New Zealand

        The cornerstone of New Zealand's farm-based economy has always been sheep; a common saying since the early days of the colony has been that the people of New Zealand 'live off the sheep's back'. Although we are now active in the export of a diverse range of other goods, sheep remain a mainstay of our prosperity, right up until more recently when another farming sector, dairy took over.

        It is probable that the first sheep to set foot on New Zealand arrived in 1814 with the missionary Samuel Marsden. It was not until after 1834, however, when the first Australian merinos were landed on Mana Island, bound for the Wairarapa, that sheep were farmed in any volume - and a flourishing wool trade with Europe was developed. An export trade in sheep meat was initiated in 1882, and today New Zealand has an enviable international reputation as an efficient producer and exporter of top quality meat and wool products.
        In New Zealand, sheep are raised for both meat and wool. Since the mid 19th century, New Zealand farmers have worked to perfect breeds which meet the dual purpose needs of both wool and meat. The dual purpose breeds are favoured for their valuable fleece, regular lamb production, multiple births, good maternal instincts, high milk production and easy care characteristics. Five successful New Zealand cross-breeds, along with the traditional English Romney, are featured in this stamp issue.

1991 The Tuatara / World Wildlife Fund

        The Tuatara is the sole survivor from a lineage which stretches back before the dinosaur age. Scientists have been aware for over a century now that the Tuatara is no ordinary reptile. It is in fact, the last living representative of the reptilian order Sphenodontia. The Tuatara's ancestors are known to have been around over 225 million years ago - about the time the first dinosaurs trampled the earth. And today's Tuatara survives 65 million years after the last dinosaur disappeared.

        Naturalists have been beating a path to these shores since the late 1800s to collect Tuatara - sometimes hundreds at a time - for the world's museums. As a result, as early as 1885 a warrant was bestowed to provide all Tuatara with absolute protection. All Tuatara islands are now Wildlife Sanctuaries or Flora and Fauna Reserves so that permits are required in order to visit them. The factors which impact most heavily on the Tuatara's survival are the modification of their habitat, the numbers of co-existing petrels and shearwaters, and the island's population of rats.

        There is approximately 100,000 individual Tuatara alive today. Almost every one of them inhabits one of 30 small, cliff-ringed islands off the shores of New Zealand. Stephens Island in Cook Strait is home to at least 30,000 - almost one-third of the world's Tuatara population.

2017 New Zealand Surf Breaks

        New Zealand sits right in the cross hairs of the Roaring Forties, leaving it exposed to the rolling swell that boils up from turbulent Antarctic storms. New Zealand’s tiny land mass with vast stretches of epic coastline has made it somewhat of a surfer’s paradise - minus the constant warm weather and coconut trees! The New Zealand Surf Breaks stamp issue takes a look at some of New Zealand’s most popular surf breaks - from the long peeling waves at Piha to the frigid waters along the Dunedin coast.

        Each of the five stamps in this issue features one of New Zealand’s prime surfing spots, with dramatic images captured by some of New Zealand’s top surf photographers. The North Island is represented by two of New Zealand’s most well-known surf spots, Piha Bar in Piha and Manu Bay in Raglan, as well as the Waiwhakaiho River mouth in Taranaki along Surf Highway 45. The South Island is represented by Mangamaunu in Kaikoura and Aramoana Spit in Dunedin, both producing world-class breaks in the cooler southern waters.

2010 100 Years of Surf Life Saving

Summer 2010/11 marked a century-long legacy of heroic service on New Zealand beaches, and New Zealand Post celebrated with the 100 Years of Surf Life Saving stamp issue. This interesting stamp issue depicted surf lifeguards in action - patrolling beaches and rescuing swimmers in heavy surf on beaches up and down the country. 

Each stamp depicted an aspect of Surf Life Saving, and all five stamps were captured together on the first day cover. I like the way each design through this whole issue had a common theme of the lifeguard on the left, always alert, always watching what is going on. Also available was a special presentation pack, in which Bob Harvey, President of Surf Life Saving New Zealand, tells the story of the Surf Life Saving movement in New Zealand.

2005 Ross Dependency Through the Lens.

          Antarctica is well known as one of the most starkly desolate places on earth – a vastly inhospitable expanse of land permanently cloaked in ice. Yet for all its frozen isolation, the continent’s landscapes and wildlife are also breathtakingly beautiful, inspiring some of New Zealand’s greatest photographers to create some of their finest works.

          In 2005, New Zealand Post invited five professional photographers to submit their personal favourites of the Ross Dependency – and the results are simply stunning. That was how NZ Post described this issue but I have to admit that personally, I was disappointed with the stamps.  

1986 United Nations International Year Of Peace

        Costa Rica is a small country, bordered by Nicaragua and Panama, and on either side by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Small it may be, but it was Costa Rica's initiative that saw the International Year of Peace first proposed in the United Nations General Assembly in 1981. The following year, a proposal to observe the calendar year of 1986 as the official United Nations International Year of Peace was adopted by consensus.

        During 1985 a nationwide design competition was held to obtain designs for the stamp issue.  The winning designs were seen as strongly promoted the message of peace.  They incorporated a diverse group of peace symbols that would be recognised by the widest possible spectrum of the community:  the dove; the 'tree of life', the United Nations Year of Peace logo; and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament symbol.

Two se tenant stamps depicting the dove; the 'tree of life'. The United Nations Year of Peace logo and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament symbol can be seen on each stamp too. 

1986 Music

       This is a small issue celebrating traditional forms of music popular in New Zealand. I'm not sure just how popular these stamps were. Certainly, I overlooked them until we discovered them recently. Anyway, they are real stamps so we need to include them in this blog. I think the stories that were added by NZ Post makes the issue more interesting. I know I learnt a few new things which is partly what this blog is all about.

30c - Classical Music.

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.  

2017 Definitives

Definitive Tour

Back to 2016 Scenic Definitives.                Forward to 2018 Scenic Definitives.

    While New Zealand Post has worked hard to keep postage rates as low as possible, an annual decline in mail volumes has resulted in a review of the costs of our products and services.

      From 1 July 2017 FastPost will increase from $1.80 to $2.30 for a medium letter, from $2.80 to $3.30 for large letters and from $3.80 to $4.30 for oversize letters. To meet these changes, New Zealand Post is issuing two new scenic definitive stamps for the $2.30 and $4.30 denominations. There is already an existing scenic definitive stamp for $3.30 which features the iconic Dunedin railway station.

      Our isolated, water-bound country boasts 14,000 kilometres of unmatchable coastline. From long sandy beaches to steep rocky inclines, New Zealand’s beaches come in all forms, and almost all of them are capable of producing a surfable swell. Following on the theme of the surf-break issue, these two definitive stamps also feature popular surfing locations.

2004 Ross Dependency Emperor Penguins

        For human beings, Antarctica is a vast, icy and perennially inhospitable land, approached and inhabited by only the hardiest of souls. But for the Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), the continent is truly home – even in winter, when it’s the only animal to spend the season breeding on the open ice.
        Every winter, once the sea ice has formed, they gather at their breeding ground, the mates of the previous year seeking each other out and spending several weeks renewing their acquaintance. Once the eggs are laid (one for each pair), the male becomes the official incubator, balancing the egg on top of his feet and covering it with a warm fold of skin and feathers. He huddles with other penguins to preserve warmth in this chilly environment, where temperatures can fall below -60 degrees Celsius. Two months later, the male half his former weight, the egg hatches and a new penguin life begins – joining the battle for survival in one of the most desolate parts of the world.

2017 The British & Irish Lions Tour

See our collection - Rugby on New Zealand Stamps.

          Every four years The British & Irish Lions tour the Southern Hemisphere, and in 2017 it’s New Zealand’s turn to host and compete in a series that captivates a nation. The series will begin in Whangarei on 3 June, and over the course of six weeks, ten matches will be played in seven different cities against eight different New Zealand teams.

          The British & Irish Lions rugby Tour was first dreamt up by a couple of English cricketers by the names of Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury. The first Tour had the team playing 19 games of Aussie rules football, but the concept soon developed and the first officially sanctioned Tour to the Southern Hemisphere was organised in 1891. It wasn’t until 1899 that a Lions team was made up of players representing the four home nations of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland - a tradition that continues today.

The British & Irish Lions - First Day Cover.

2017 The Darkest Hour 1917

2018  World War I  Commemorative Book Series.

Back to 2016 Courage & Commitment - 1916.              Forward to 2018 Back from the Brink - 1918.

By 1917, soldiers and loved ones had begun to lose faith in the ongoing war. Those on the Western Front were living in cold, wet trenches, and those at home were doing what they could to keep the home fires burning. New Zealand would experience the deadliest day in its military history when 845 lives were lost in the Belgian town of Passchendaele.

This sheet features the 6 x $1.00 stamps, the 2 x $2.20 stamps and the 2 x $2.70 stamps, all ten stamps of the Darkest Hour Issue.

2003 Ross Dependency Marine Life

        

Dive beneath the thick expanse of ice covering the continent of Antarctica, and you'll be amazed at the abundance and variety of colourful marine life that lives in this cold, forbidding environment. Sea snails, starfish, crabs, sponges and many more eke out a meagre existence many hundreds of metres below sea level - far from the inquisitive eyes of the world's scientists and researchers, eager to learn more about them.

1984 Endangered Wildlife

          From the days when New Zealand was first settled, it has lost proportionately more living species than any other nation in the world.  Our pioneers had no idea of the damage they were causing as they cleared the land - today however there are no excuses.
          Much of New Zealand's unique beautiful wildlife has gone.  Numbers decrease as hunting, disease and habitat destruction continue.  Legislation for the protection of New Zealand fauna is good by world standards, although it does not extend to a threatened species' habitat.
         Several of New Zealand's fascinating reptiles and a rare amphibian are featured on this special stamp issue.  The five stamps depict the rare Hamilton's Frog; Great Barrier Skink; Harlequin Gecko; Otago Skink; and the Gold-striped Gecko.

24c - Hamilton's Frog.

Hamilton's Frog - one of three species of native New Zealand frogs and regarded as being among the rarest amphibians in the world.  It is considered an unusual frog because it lives under stones and well away from standing water, depending on high humidity for its entire life cycle.

2002 Ross Dependency Discovery Expedition

         The British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, generally known as the Discovery Expedition, was the first official British exploration of the Antarctic regions since James Clark Ross's voyage sixty years earlier. Organised on a large scale under a joint committee of the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), the new expedition carried out scientific research and geographical exploration in what was then largely an untouched continent.
          It launched the Antarctic careers of many who would become leading figures in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, including Robert Falcon Scott who led the expedition, Ernest Shackleton, Edward Wilson, Frank Wild, Tom Crean and William Lashly.
         Its scientific results covered extensive ground in biology, zoology, geology, meteorology and magnetism. The expedition discovered the existence of the only snow-free Antarctic valleys, which contain Antarctica's longest river. Further achievements included the discoveries of the Cape Crozier emperor penguin colony, King Edward VII Land, and the Polar Plateau (via the western mountains route) on which the South Pole is located. The expedition tried to reach the South Pole travelling as far as the Farthest South mark at a reported 82°17′S before being forced to turn back.

2001 Ross Dependency Penguins

         The 2001 Ross Dependency stamps, issued on the 7th November 2001, featured penguins found in the Ross Dependency area. On the same day New Zealand also issued a set of six stamps, also featuring penguins, 2001 Penguins. but this time penguins from around New Zealand. There have been occasions when these two sets have been confused but it must be remembered that they are independent of one another, released by two different postal administrations.  

         But it also must be acknowledged that these two stamp issues are also linked, through their designer, their printer and their subject of penguins.

The six value Ross Dependency Penguin issue.

2001 Penguins

         On the same day that the Ross Dependency issued a six value set on the Penguins of Antarctica, New Zealand issued a six value set on the penguins of New Zealand. While these sets were issued by different postal administrations they must be considered as related. They were issued on the same day, had the same designer and the same printer. Ross Dependency Postal Services are actually run by the “Ross Dependency Agency”, located at a post office in Christchurch as a agency of the New Zealand Postal Service (NZ Post).

2001 Ross Dependency - Penguins. 

Up to 80 per cent of a penguins life is spent in the ocean where their stiff, paddle-like flippers, torpedo-shaped bodies and heavy bones are ideally adapted for speed and deep diving. While other birds take to the skies, these fly through the water, cleverly camouflaged from beneath and above with their white bellies and dark backs.

2005 - 2009 Stamp Exhibitions.

During the 1980s NZ Post began issuing special collectors miniature sheets to be sold at the stamp exhibitions they attended. Usually, these miniature sheets featured stamps that were currently on sale at that time, in some cases, they were overprints of existing miniature sheets but since they were actually separate issues we have decided to feature them together in this series of posts.

This post will show all the special issues for stamp exhibitions that NZ Post attended during the period 2000 - 2004. It is most likely that we will not feature most of these issues on their own pages so they have been collected here.