2007 New Zealand Native Wildlife

Self Adhesive Se-tenant Strip of Five Stamps.

         For a small country, New Zealand has a diverse array of plants and animals that can not be found anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately though, many of our animals struggle to survive due to introduced predators, environmental changes and the modernisation practices of man – as a result their numbers have dwindled to such an extent that they are officially classified as ‘endangered’.

        Luckily, New Zealand is a nation of wildlife champions. We recognise and appreciate that these unique – and iconic – animals are as much a part of our nation and nationhood as we are. In this issue we celebrated their individuality, and their abundant charms with a unique artistic range of five vibrant stamps. What makes these stamps stand out as different is the fact they are round rather than the usual rectangle. 

2007 Royal Diamond Wedding Anniversary

          In 1947, as the people of Great Britain were rebuilding their lives after the devastation of World War II, a Royal celebration heralded nationwide rejoicing throughout the Commonwealth. On 20 November, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (the elder daughter of King George VI, and soon to be Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II) married the Duke of Edinburgh – an occasion we remembered in New Zealand as the couple celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.

         New Zealand Post released this two value stamp issue commemorating this momentous milestone for New Zealand's Head of State. For not only was it a personal achievement for the couple, but Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England in 1066, was the first reigning sovereign to reach a 60th wedding anniversary. Included in this issue were a miniature sheet and two first day covers.

2007 Clever Kiwis

Kiwis have a remarkable history of turning great ideas into reality – creating ‘world first’ products and techniques that transform the lives of people and businesses around the world. From road surfaces to kitchen appliances, computer technology to bungy jumps, motorbikes to underwater aquariums, we’ve seen the challenges and come up with the solutions. It’s ‘Kiwi can do’ at its best – and it was celebrated in these five stamps - they featured five of New Zealand’s most successful inventions.

2007 Southern Skies

The 2007 Southern Skies was an issue of five stamps, each showing a scene from the night skies above New Zealand, set as a background to five famous astronomical telescopes. 

Getting away from the lights of the city reveals the true wonder of the night sky; constellations and star clusters; comets, planets and many deep space objects. The moon in all her beauty as she goes through her phases. All this, before we begin using binoculars or a small telescope. Then even more wonders appear to us like Jupiter and his four larger moons; Saturn and her glorious rings; splitting stars to reveal them as binaries (two stars orbiting each other). Then come the big telescopes which produce those photographs of nebulas with their amazing colours. 

2008 Underwater Reefs

The 2008 Scenic stamp issue featured New Zealand Coral Reefs photographed by Dr Kim Westerskov. Kim Westerskov is a photographer and writer who specialises in images of aquatic and seashore life. He has a PhD in Marine Sciences from Otago University, and has written and illustrated seventeen books about the seas, sea-life, and Antarctica.

This issue features four amazingly beautiful stamps with bright vivid colours. Not sure why I have missed them before considering I even have the set in my collection.

2018 New Zealand in Space

        On Sunday 21 January 2018 New Zealand’s role in the international aerospace industry was elevated to a whole new level when Rocket Lab launched its Electron rocket into orbit from Mahia Peninsula.

        NZ Post celebrated this extraordinary achievement with a commemorative stamp sheet containing the six stamps seen below. Further down will be the sheet itself, followed by the enlarged stamps and detailed captions.

       Virtual New Zealand Stamps wishes to congratulate NZ Post for developing and releasing this issue so quickly after the rocket's flight. They are six great stamps on a subject not usually seen on New Zealand stamps.

The Six Stamps.

Resene Stamps - Part Three (2010 - 2018).

Resene Stamps - Page One (2002 - 2004)

  Resene Stamps - Page Two (2005 - 2009)  

Resene Stamps - Page Three (2010 - 2018)

  

New Zealand Mail is an accredited New Zealand Post service provider. Supplying specialist services to businesses requiring dedicated help with high volume mail facilities for mail handling, mail franking and hybrid mail services. They even provide a wide range of stamps and postage-paid envelope options. While Resene Paints do not produce, market or sell these stamps through their own stores, the stamps do provide a welcome, if rather an unusual form of advertising. They also use these stamps for their own postage requirements.

Produced and distributed by originally Stamps at Work, then Black Sheep Stamps and now NZ Mail, the stamps are predominantly sold through convenience outlets all over New Zealand. Resene postage stamps are just another way Resene is adding colour to our community. The stamps are legal postage stamps and can be used to send letters domestically and internationally, that is if you can bear to part with them!

   

Resene Stamps - Part Two (2005 - 2009)

Resene Stamps - Page One (2002 - 2004)

  Resene Stamps - Page Two (2005 - 2009) 

 Resene Stamps - Page Three (2010 - 2018)

New Zealand Mail is an accredited New Zealand Post service provider. Supplying specialist services to businesses requiring dedicated help with high volume mail facilities for mail handling, mail franking and hybrid mail services. They even provide a wide range of stamps and postage paid envelope options. While Resene Paints do not produce, market or sell these stamps through their own stores, the stamps do provide a welcome, if rather an unusual form of advertising. They also use these stamps for their own postage requirements.

Produced and distributed by originally Stamps at Work, then Black Sheep Stamps and now NZ Mail, the stamps are predominantly sold through convenience outlets all over New Zealand. Resene postage stamps are just another way Resene is adding colour to our community. The stamps are legal postage stamps and can be used to send letters domestically and internationally, that is if you can bear to part with them!

                      

Resene Stamps - Part One (2002 - 2004)

Resene Stamps - Page One (2002 - 2004)

  Resene Stamps - Page Two (2005 - 2009) 

Resene Stamps - Page Three (2010 - 2018)

New Zealand Mail is an accredited New Zealand Post service provider. Supplying specialist services to businesses requiring dedicated help with high volume mail facilities for mail handling, mail franking and hybrid mail services. They even provide a wide range of stamps and postage-paid envelope options. While Resene Paints do not produce, market or sell these stamps through their own stores, the stamps do provide a welcome, if rather an unusual form of advertising. They also use these stamps for their own postage requirements.

Produced and distributed by originally Stamps at Work, then Black Sheep Stamps and now NZ Mail, the stamps are predominantly sold through convenience outlets all over New Zealand. Resene postage stamps are just another way Resene is adding colour to our community. The stamps are legal postage stamps and can be used to send letters domestically and internationally, that is if you can bear to part with them!

These stamps were shown on two websites and in both cases, the information was lacking and images of very poor quality. While we would rather not include images like these I think the stamps are of interest. 

             

2008 Weather Extremes

        New Zealand Post is committed to sustainability and currently exploring ways to minimise its impact on the environment. This stamp issue was part of that commitment – highlighting New Zealand’s own weather extremes, which are remarkably diverse for such a small nation. Each of the stamps in this issue focused on different elements of New Zealand's weather extremes.

        As the climate warms, New Zealand is expected to experience more weather extremes. They will reach into all aspects of life in this country. The first-day cover highlighted our weather extremes in one place, displaying all six stamps and their dramatic images illustrating the impact of climate change, which through warmer weather is expected to have a significant effect on our agricultural industry.

In my line of work, dairy farming, the weather plays a huge part in our business. Our milking season begins in August so it is important that we have a good spring. Too much rain and cold, the grass doesn't get away. Not enough rain and again we don't make good hay and run out of feed. Then there is flooding on the bottom flats. Windburn up on the top ridge. Cold winds during lambing. Mud, frost, rain, wind -  sounds like fun doesn't it?  

2008 Sir Edmund Hillary

         Sir Edmund Percival Hillary KG, ONZ, KBE (20th July 1919 – 11th January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On the 29th of May 1953, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

2008 150th Anniversary of Kingitanga

150th Anniversary of the Maori King Movement.

For other stamps with Maori themes see our New Zealand Maori.

Faith, Love & Law.

         The Māori King Movement or Kīngitanga is a movement that arose among some Māori tribes in the 1850s to establish a symbolic role similar in status to that of the monarch of the British colonists. The position of a Māori monarch is a non-constitutional role with no legal power but it is a symbolic role of great prestige (mana). Since the 1850s the role has been vested in the Tainui iwi (tribe), centred in the Waikato region, who agreed to guard the position when it was created. The current Māori monarch, Tuheitia Paki, is descended from the first Māori king, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, and was elected in 2006. His official residence is Turongo House at Turangawaewae Marae in the town of Ngaruawahia.
         Since it was established, the Kīngitanga movement and influence has expanded and now is recognised and respected by Māori in many parts of New Zealand today. Some iwi such the Ngapuhi iwi of Northland are strongly against the Maori king movement and find the use of the name "Maori King" offensive.
        While the Maori King has no direct connection with the New Zealand Government regarding the legal decision-making process, he/she is often consulted and advice taken on matters concerning Maori. It is also usual, but a tradition of respect rather than set in law, that the British monarch and the Maori monarch will meet if they are in the same country.          
         The position of Māori monarch is not hereditary in principle. The monarch is appointed by the leaders of the tribes involved in the Kīngitanga movement on the day of the previous monarch’s funeral and before the burial. However, to date, all Māori monarchs have been direct descendants of Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, the first Māori king, and each monarch has been succeeded by a son or daughter. 
         This position has been held by Pōtatau, Māori King (1856 – 1860); Tāwhiao, Māori King (1860 – 1894); Mahuta, Māori King (1894 – 1912); Te Rata, Māori King (1912 – 1933); Korokī, Māori King (1933 – 1966); Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Māori Queen (1966 – 2006); Tuheitia Paki, Māori King (2006 – ).

2009 Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers

International Polar Year 2007 - 2009.

2009 New Zealand Champions of World Motorsport

  '

       Kiwis are known for their adventurousness, so it’s no surprise that we’ve produced some of the world’s fastest racing car drivers and motorcyclists. Motorsport has been part of our lifeblood since cars first arrived on our shores, with fans turning out in their thousands to watch – spellbound by the vehicles, the speed and the battle for glory.
        New Zealand Post produced this issue of five gummed stamps and two adhesives. Also included in the issue were a miniature sheet, miniature sheet first day cover, and for the first time since 2005, a series of five postage-included souvenir cards (maximum cards). The maximum cards featured the champion's portrait, their stamps and an action shot. 

2009 Lighthouses

 
         In 2009, NZ Post commemorated the 150th anniversary of New Zealand’s first lighthouse (Pencarrow) with five distinctive stamps. Each stamp featured a technological ‘landmark’ of its own – lighthouse beams that actually glow in the dark! You can see the slightly unusual texture of the lighthouse beams in these stamp images.

          As true landmarks of New Zealand, lighthouses continue to have an important role for ships entering and leaving New Zealand’s waters, helping sailors to calculate their distances from land and travelling speeds, providing effective warnings of potential danger and signalling entrances to safe harbours. 

          Today, all lighthouses are automated – the last to be converted was The Brothers lighthouse in July 1990. And while few of those built of local hardwood have survived due to the harsh conditions on New Zealand’s coastlines, the lighthouses made of hardier materials such as stone or concrete, continue to perform, decade after decade.

1994/1995 A to B Self Adhesive Coil Stamp

What appeared to be a simple post, quickly turned into a much more complex story.

       The 45 cent self-adhesive coil stamp design was introduced in July 1994. The letter A representing the sender and B representing the recipient of the mail. In June 1995 Leigh-Marden advised New Zealand Post that they were withdrawing from the stamp printing business and an order was placed with Sprintpak Pty Ltd to ensure supply continuity. In October 1995 postal rates were decreased and printings were done by both of the companies mentioned above.

       So this leaves us with four different but easily identifiable varieties as can be seen in the group above.

2017 Platinum Wedding Anniversary

New Zealand Post has created this special commemorative stamp issue to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’s platinum wedding anniversary. Over their 70 years of marriage, they have achieved many remarkable milestones, of which family feature prominently. The stamps capture some of these magical moments.

While the Queen and Prince Philip were engaged in 1946, their engagement was not formally announced to the world until the following year – 10 July 1947 – when Elizabeth turned 21.

On Thursday 20 November 1947, the royal couple were married in Westminster Abbey. Despite all their royal responsibilities, some of the most significant moments in their lives are family occasions. The births of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are sure to have been among the highlights. The fourth generation of the royal family continues to grow, with another great-grandchild expected in the first half of 2018.

Together, the Queen and Prince Philip have broken many records. She is the longest-serving – and longest-living - sovereign in New Zealand’s history, and the first to visit this country while reigning. He is the longest-serving consort and the longest-lived male member of the royal family. They are the first royal couple to see three generations of successors to the throne. No other members of the royal family have ever celebrated a platinum wedding anniversary, which makes this a very rare and remarkable milestone by any standard.

1900 Boer War Thematic Collection.

1½d - Boer War Commemorative. 

See our post-1898 First Pictorial Issue.

A new penny halfpenny stamp was introduced to cover a change in postage rates for printed matter. It commemorated the departure of the first contingents of New Zealand troops to the Boer War in South Africa and symbolised the prompt response of New Zealand to the call of the Empire for troops. A total of 6,500 New Zealand troops took part. Rather ironically, the stamp was the first to be engraved outside the British Empire, in New York.

A Collection of Postal Cancels on this 1900 stamp.

While Allan was searching for good examples of this stamp for another post, 1900 Boer War, he came across a small collection of 11 used stamps, cancelled in 11 different post offices. Since then we have found and added more readable post cancellations until now, we have a collection of nearly 80 items. This collection became so large that the decision was made to split it onto its own blog page. 

1994 Adventure Tourism

        The magnificent New Zealand scenery is a major drawcard for tourists from every corner of the world, quickly and comfortably accessible and completely unspoiled. But that is not all. Excitement, thrills and fun are also provided to go with our stunning scenery. Be it a hike through our abundant bush, a hair-raising ride through treacherous whitewater aboard a raft, fishing our lakes and rivers for trout or plunging headlong into gullies attached to a bungy rope - there is an outdoor adventure for all tastes and ages. In this Tourism issue, the uniqueness of a holiday in New Zealand was captured. The fresh, clean design of the stamps reflect the land with its abundance of crystal clear lakes and streams, magnificent mountains and dramatic landforms.

What better way to start this post than an excellent used example of the 45c White Water Rafting - from the Booklet. 

2006/2018 Year of the Dog.

2018  The Year of the Dog.

Chinese New Year celebrations begin 16 February 2018, and according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, this year is the Year of the Dog. New Zealand Post has created a special stamp, gold-sheet and medallion issue to celebrate this important Chinese event.

People born in this year tend to have decisive, loyal and loving personality traits which can make them fierce and long-lasting friends. But, because they have quite cautious characteristics, they can take time to form these bonds and can be easily distressed if trust is broken.

The Stamps.

$1.00 - Calligraphy.

The Chinese New Year celebration is dominated by the traditional Chinese colour, red. It reflects a positive, warm, and peaceful atmosphere. Calligraphy is another traditional Chinese New Year element used for household scrolls and art exhibitions. Here, the cloud pattern is a metaphor for good luck in Chinese and ‘the land of the long white cloud’ New Zealand.

2017 Royalpex National Stamp Exhibition

         Royalpex 2017, (24th - 26th November) was held in Hamilton this year and attracted stamp collectors and dealers from around the country. The national stamp exhibition showed works and collections from around the country. Sometimes known as a ‘half national’ due to it having less classes available than a typical national exhibition.

        The event was ran by the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand and was proudly sponsored by New Zealand Post. As an official sponsor, New Zealand Post had a central stand at the exhibition for those wishing to purchase stamps and coins, or arrange for the special daily cancellations to be applied to mail items.

       It was an impressive event, well worth the trip down from Auckland. It was the first time all five writers of this blog attended a stamp exhibition together. We stayed at a farm near Cambridge, driving up to the exhibition each day.

Special Exhibition Collectables.
In honour of the city this year’s show was held on Hamilton. New Zealand Post created two unique products featuring imagery of Hamilton in the background. The miniature sheet features the idyllic Waikato river and three stamps from the popular 2017 Recovering Native Birds issue. The First day cover shows an aerial shot of the city as it stretches away in the distance.

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.

1993 Dinosaurs

The name 'dinosaur' originates from a combination of two Greek words: 'deinos' meaning terrible and 'sauros' meaning lizard. It is these 'terrible lizards' - in particular those that once walked on New Zealand soil - that are the subject of this stamp issue.

       

For 165 million years dinosaurs ruled the earth with unparalleled strength and power. To date, some 500 types of dinosaur have been identified, but this is believed to be only a fraction of the species that actually existed. They came in all shapes and sizes (some were as small as chickens, while some were as tall as five-storey buildings) and they displayed a wide range of social behaviour patterns (some were gentle in nature and ate plant life, while others were violent and threatening, and ate those that ate the plant life!). 

1993 Royal Doulton Ceramics Exhibition

This issue commemorated the 1992 - 1993 CourierPost Royal Doulton Ceramics Exhibition in New Zealand. The exhibition included over 750 items with over four-fifths of the items displayed coming from family collections in New Zealand. The Royal Doulton Company is one of the most renowned English companies producing tableware and collectables, with a history dating back to 1815. In 1901 King Edward VII granted the Burslem factory the Royal Warrant, which allowed the business to adopt new markings and use the Royal Doulton name.

This is an issue that neither Allan or I knew much about. Sure, I have a set in my collection with their captions underneath but that was as far as I'd ever gone. Now when we came to feature these on their own page we spent a long time trying to find suitable images. The problem is that blue block down the left-hand side of each stamp. It is so dark that the value and other information is almost impossible to see. The real stamps look slightly better but they certainly do not photograph well.

1996 Maori Crafts

        The first Māori people brought their art and crafts with them from their ancient homeland in Polynesia when they migrated to New Zealand more than 1000 years ago. In their new, remote home in the South Pacific, away from outside influences and with different materials, they developed these craft over successive generations. Wood carving was the primary art form but it was just one of the Māori's cultural accomplishments. Māori art ranged from carving meeting houses and other buildings, war canoes and weapons - to creating clothing and personal ornaments such as burial chests, musical instruments, treasure boxes, marvellous cloaks and skirts.

        Almost nothing that the Māori made was without decoration of some sort. They used a wide variety of materials, from readily available and workable timber, flax, bone and whale-bone ivory to the less tractable greenstone, argillite and basalt. They practised and experimented with a range of styles from formalisation through impressionism to the near-abstract. Generally speaking, Māori art was and still is, largely a question of shape and design rather than colour. Traditional Māori arts flourish today although new materials, tools and international influences have introduced an added new dimension to traditional design.

For other issues on Maori see our Maori Page & Index.