October 2019 | Issue 68
2019 Sir Edmund Hillary 1919-2008 Tuia 250: Michel Tuffery’s Artistic Journey of Discovery Kupe – The Great Navigator Te Araroa Trail
Contents Remembering our greatest hero................................................ 3 A journey of discovery................................................................... 4 Te Araroa............................................................................................ 5 Recent stamp issues...................................................................6-7 Aotearoa's guiding stars............................................................8-9 Rock Legends................................................................................. 10 Upcoming stamp issues.............................................................. 11 Latest stamps from Niue & Tokelau........................................ 12 Visit New Zealand in 2020.......................................................... 13 Recent coin issues........................................................................ 14 Introducing Antony Harris.......................................................... 15 Philatelic calendar........................................................................ 16 International stamps.............................................................. 17-19
Cover illustration: 2019 Sir Edmund Hillary 1919-2008
Focus is produced by New Zealand Post's Stamps and Coins team and brings you news and background information on stamps, coins and other products. To subscribe to Focus and join the New Zealand Post mailing list, please tick the appropriate box when you complete the order form in this issue, or contact the Collectables and Solutions Centre: FreePost No.1 New Zealand Post Collectables and Solutions Centre Private Bag 3001 Whanganui 4541 New Zealand Ph: +64 6 349 1234 You can find out more about our stamps, coins and other products and order online at: nzpost.co.nz/stamps nzcoins.co.nz nzpost.co.nz/personalisedstamps From here you can also subscribe to our email updates on the latest stamp, coin and other products on offer from New Zealand Post. You can also view a list of all philatelic clubs and societies and their contact details. This issue of Focus has been printed on Neo Satin paper from B&F Papers. B&F Papers is committed to being an environmentally responsible company with Forest Stewardship Council® and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. 2
Kia ora, welcome! A special welcome to the latest issue of Focus, which comes with some exciting news! The Stamps and Coins team has a new leader, and we are delighted to introduce you to Antony Harris on page 15. It's been quite an adventurous year for collectables. Featured on the cover of this issue is someone you might recognise the iconic Kiwi Sir Edmund Hillary, whose remarkable life is being celebrated in 2019, the centenary of his birth. Sir Ed’s legacy has become intertwined with New Zealand’s identity as a small nation that faces big challenges. With this issue, we share just five of this remarkable man’s many outstanding accomplishments. Looking further back than 100 years to thousands of years in the past, our Matariki issue presents in stunning illustrations the equally adventurous story of Kupe, the Polynesian navigator credited with the discovery of Aotearoa. Matariki, the Māori New Year, is a special time in Aotearoa, and is taking an increasingly significant place in the calendars of all New Zealanders. This stamp issue was accompanied by two sets of coins, of which one was a fast sell-out. Much more recently in our history came the first contact between Māori and Europeans. In 1769, Lieutenant James Cook was guided to New Zealand by Tahitian priest Tupaia. New Zealand artist Michel Tuffery has spent almost a decade exploring this journey through his art, and the October stamp issue features five original paintings created in response to what he has learnt about this piece of Polynesian history. In line with this year’s intrepid theme is a special scenic issue. Recently established, Te Araroa is New Zealand’s long-distance trail. The 3,000-kilometre trek starts at the top of the North Island and runs all the way to Bluff, in the lower region of the South Island. Taking four to six months to complete, it has attracted hikers, and Kiwis too are discovering a new rite of passage. Read more on page 5. Finally, our 2019 Kiwiana issue takes us on a tongue-in-cheek tour of New Zealand’s fantastic natural rock formations. On page 10 we look at why people love to find images of human faces, animals and mysterious messages in unassuming objects. We hope you enjoy this issue of Focus. The Stamps and Collectables team
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In July 2019, New Zealand celebrated 100 years since the birth of Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008). Not only has Sir Ed’s unique position in history made him a Kiwi icon, but through the course of the 20th century his achievements have helped to shape the world’s perception of our nation.
On 23 July, New Zealand Post was very proud to launch a commemorative stamp issue at a Sir Edmund Hillary Centenary event at Parliament. The celebrations were led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and included speeches from Sir Ed's family members and a range of other distinguished guests, including actor Sam Neill, and Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh. So, what was so significant about the first ascent of Mount Everest? The lasting impact of Sir Ed’s daring climb into the physical and physiological unknown did not occur to him or Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. They wanted to reach the summit simply because no one else had. In the same way that Neil Armstrong changed our perception of what was possible by putting a boot print on the Moon, what these men succeeded in doing would expand the realms of possibility for every one of us down at sea level. However, for Sir Ed, the ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 was just one item on a long list of accomplishments. Of course, it started in the mountains of New Zealand - as a teenager at Mount Ruapehu, in Airforce training on Mount Tapuae-oUenuku during the Second World War, and at Mount Cook in the 1940s when he and others made the first ascent of the
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Remembering our greatest hero
South Ridge. From there, climbing in the Himalayas beckoned, and after three expeditions he and Tenzing reached the summit of the world’s highest peak. The enduring nature of Sir Ed’s legacy is that we see him as the embodiment of so many of the attributes that we like to see in ourselves. In our somewhat complicated and contradictory way, we saw him as both humble and successful, considerate and determined, accommodating and focused and down-toearth and highly talented. In many ways Sir Edmund Hillary’s greatest strength was his ability to reinvent himself. And he did this throughout his long and remarkable life; new expeditions, new projects, new responsibilities. Sir Ed’s career continued with many more impressive achievements: writing books, making films, becoming the New Zealand High Commissioner to India, his business involvements and encouraging outdoor activities. But there was always something that stood out, and that was his commitment to New Zealand. He was an extremely generous man, and he derived great pleasure from the successes of others. Simply, he wanted the best for the country and people that he loved.
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A journey of discovery Michel Tuffery is a New Zealand-based artist of Samoan, Rarotongan and Ma’ohi Tahitian heritage. Within his art practice he plays the role of working ‘in between’ people and places, and focusing a fresh lens on environmental, community, cultural and art historical divides. When Tupaia, an arioi priest and navigator from Ra’iātea, guided Lieutenant James Cook and the Endeavour from Tahiti to Aotearoa in 1769, a reconnection was made between Māori and their ancestral homelands. Tuffery has created original artworks in response to what he has learned about these first encounters over the last decade, and 250 years after these first encounters they are the subject of this commemorative stamp issue.
Artist Michel Tuffery: Photo by Stephen Robinson, New Zealand.
Over six years, Tuffery joined a team from around the globe to investigate the history of Tupaia. Directed by Lala Rolls, a documentary aired on Māori Television in 2017 tells part of the Endeavour’s story and the result of these tuia (encounters) from a Polynesian viewpoint. The film crew visited Tahiti, Gisborne, Uawa-Tolaga Bay, Wellington and the British Museum and British Library in London, interviewing historians and storytellers. Tuia 250: Michel Tuffery’s Artistic Journey of Discovery – Ngā kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea, illuminates the pivotal contribution made by Tupaia as navigator, translator and mediator between Tahitian, Māori and British people. Tuffery’s paintings explore the roles played by Tupaia, his arioi acolyte and nephew Taiato, and members of Cook’s crew whose legacies have received little attention. His artworks prompt us to learn more about the relationship between Cook and Tupaia; understand the legacy of Sydney Parkinson, the botanical artist who collaborated and strategised with Tupaia; and ponder the potential meeting of two great intellectuals Daniel Solander (a Swedish naturalist) and Te Maro of Ngāti Rakai (later Ngāti Oneone) and Te Aitanga a Hauiti, thwarted when Te Maro was shot and killed during the first meeting between Cook’s crew and Māori at the Tūranganui River (Gisborne). We also meet young boys Nicholas Young (a servant of surgeon William Brougham Monkhouse) and Taiato, two 12-year-olds ‘learning the ropes’ on the Endeavour. The stamp issue is named for a whakataukī (proverb), which recalls ancestral links, connections and reconnections:
E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea. I will never be lost, for I am a seed sown from Rangiātea.
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Te Araroa – The Long Pathway – is a 3,000-kilometre-long trail connecting Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island to Stirling Point, Bluff at the bottom of the South Island. It traverses coastal, forest, river, volcanic flank, mountain and high-country tracks, and crosses five cities, including New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland, and its capital city, Wellington. To those who began the great volunteer effort that led to the trail’s gradual reveal, the objective was always clear: to create a uniquely Kiwi long-distance trail. They knew that, while the country is small, its landscapes are vast in diversity and scale – from wild coastlines to the shining lakes and rivers of the interior, and from the desolate volcanic plateau to the soaring, snow-capped Southern Alps. They believed that being able to explore such places on foot would be the ultimate experience – and that taking five or six months to do it would be life changing. In the 2018/2019 season more than 1,000 people walked the trail, and while many were international trampers and families, the majority were solo walkers – among them New Zealanders walking their own country as a rite of passage. By the time Te Araroa was officially opened on 3 December 2011, Te Araroa’s reputation as the world’s newest long trail had already spread widely. Long-trail specialists from around the world had already come to New Zealand, trialled Te Araroa ready or not, and reported back on international trail forums to veterans of the Pacific Crest Trail and other long-distance trails. Such early attention, followed by the many hundreds of through-tramper blogs posted since the opening, have raised Te Araroa’s profile as one of the world’s best long trails. It’s still evolving, still shifting more of its route off-road, but along the great length of it, just as its founders had hoped, the Kiwi communities, campgrounds, water taxis and huts now act as hosts to that other community – the transient one of the many walkers who carry the trail spirit forward.
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Te Araroa
Ninety Mile Beach, Northland The first day’s tramp from Te Araroa’s northern start point at Cape Reinga takes a through-tramper to Scotts Point, overlooking the long expanse of Ninety Mile Beach.
Karamu Walkway, Waikato West of Hamilton, Te Araroa climbs gradually away from the Waipa River banks. At 200 metres’ elevation, the tramper’s reward is airy views across the Waikato Plains.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing As winter through-trampers require specialist alpine skills, Te Araroa trampers usually traverse the popular Tongariro Alpine Crossing in summer.
Nelson Lakes, Tasman Some through trampers walk Te Araroa from south to north, and this one has crossed Waiau Pass (1,870m) on the distant Franklin Ridge, and pushes on through snowgrass above Lake Constance towards Blue Lake Hut. Stag Saddle, Canterbury For safety in marginal weather, Te Araroa’s route is poled along Camp Stream Valley to Stag Saddle (1,925m), the trail’s highest point. The recognised alternative in good weather, though, is the ridgeline west of the valley. Lake Hāwea, Otago The Otago trail heads over Breast Hill (1,578 metres) before dropping down 300 metres over the next two kilometres to Pakituhi Hut. Most Te Araroa trampers stop overnight here, awakening to explore rocky outcrops near the hut. 5
Recent stamp issues New Zealand Space Pioneers Immersed in a clear, unpolluted southern sky, from New Zealand we have more stars and galaxies accessible to the naked eye than in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It is not surprising then that for most of New Zealand’s history, the lines between professional and amateur astronomers have been blurred. It is in this spirit that New Zealanders have helped to advance the world’s knowledge about space and space sciences. Date of issue: 1 May 2019 Designer: Hannah Fortune, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Stamps printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Lenticular sheet printer: Cartor Security Printing, France Withdrawal date: 30 April 2020
Kupe – The Great Navigator Throughout the Pacific region, Kupe is the navigator credited with bringing the knowledge and data back to the Pacific that enabled the eventual population of Aotearoa. This issue explores the adventurous legend of Kupe’s pursuit of a great octopus, and the ways of Polynesian navigators who used the sky and ocean to guide their journeys between the islands of the Pacific. Date of issue: 5 June 2019 Designer: Dave Burke, Tauranga, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 4 June 2020
Colin McCahon 1919–1987 Born in 1919‚ Colin McCahon grew up in Dunedin‚ always knowing he would be a painter. The distinctive power and originality of his images would make him a giant of New Zealand painting, and today he is recognised internationally as one of Aotearoa’s most significant artists. Date of issue: 3 July 2019 Designer: Alan Hollows, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 2 July 2020
2019 Sir Edmund Hillary 1919-2008 In 2019 New zealand reflects on the incredible life of Sir Edmund Hillary, 100 years on from his birth. These stamps celebrate some of the remarkable achievements of one of New Zealand’s greatest heroes. Date of issue: 23 July 2019 Designer: Helcia Berryman, Grange Park Creative, Raumati South, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 22 July 2020 6
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The Rock Legends stamp sheet delivers a tonguein-cheek take on some of New Zealand’s quirkier rock formations, taking us on a tectonic tour of New Zealand’s head-shaped geological wonders. Date of issue: 7 August 2019 Designer: EightyOne, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 6 August 2020
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Rock Legends
Te Araroa Trail New Zealand’s longest walking trail, Te Araroa, is a 3,000 kilometre tramping route running from Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island. Popular with visitors to Aotearoa, walking the length of New Zealand is also a burgeoning rite of passage for Kiwis. Date of issue: 4 September 2019 Designer: Hannah Fortune, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 3 September 2020
Ross Dependency: Cape Adare Before the world had heard of Scott and Shackleton, a group of 10 young men from Norway, England and Australia spent a year at Cape Adare in Antarctica. They paved the way for the more famous explorers who followed, and the latest stamps from the Ross Dependency recount their untold story. Date of issue: 18 September 2019 Designer: Alan Hollows, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 17 September 2020
Tuia 250: Michel Tuffery’s Artistic Journey of Discovery When Tupaia, an arioi priest and navigator from Ra‘iātea, guided Lieutenant James Cook and the Endeavour from Tahiti to Aotearoa in 1769, a reconnection was made between Māori and their ancestral homelands. As featured on these stamps, New Zealand artist Michel Tuffery has created original artworks in response to his discoveries about where his personal history meets that of these first encounters. Date of issue: 2 October 2019 Designer: Saint Andrew Matautia, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 1 October 2020 7
Aotearoa’s guiding stars Every year, New Zealand Post releases a stamp issue to celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year. This is a time of celebration and renewal that begins (for most iwi) with the rising of the Matariki star cluster. Matariki has always been an important time for Māori, who relied on the appearance of these stars to plan the year ahead. Matariki celebrations were common before the arrival of Europeans in the 18th century. Festivals continued into the 1900s but eventually they died out in the 1940s. However, the beginning of the 21st century marked the revival of the festival. In recent years the resurgence of Matariki has accelerated, with an increasing number of festivals, events and celebrations held in towns and cities throughout the country. Celebrations include a diverse array of events such as light shows, dawn karakia, the sharing of art, entertainment, and food, restaurants creating special Matariki-inspired dishes, fireworks, workshops, and traditional water sports and performing arts. Matariki, known in other parts of the world as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, is a star cluster that appears during the New Zealand mid-winter. Traditionally, festivities followed the harvesting of crops when the pātaka (food storehouses) were full, freeing up time for family and leisure. These celebrations included the lighting of ritual fires, the making of offerings, and rituals to farewell the dead, honour ancestors, and celebrate life. Tohunga (spiritual experts) looked to the Matariki star cluster to find out how abundant the upcoming year’s harvest would be. Bright, clear stars promised a warm and successful season. Hazy stars warned of cold weather and poor crops. The stars played a key role in the voyages of the first Pacific navigators that led to the discovery of Aotearoa. This year’s Matariki stamp issue focuses on the journey of Kupe, who is said to have chased a giant octopus into the waters of New Zealand. This story has been passed down through the centuries in Māori oral histories and across the islands of the Pacific.
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Kupe is in pursuit of Te Wheke-o-Muturangi (‘the pet octopus of Muturangi’), which has been troubling tribal fishing grounds in Hawaiki. Aware that Kupe is in pursuit, the wheke heads to the Pacific Ocean. Guided by the wind, ocean life, sea currents and the skies, Kupe makes good use of all he has learnt to follow the wheke and stay on its trail. Well into the chase, Hine-te-Aparangi sees something on the horizon. She calls, “He ao - a cloud!”, then as they get closer “He aotea - a white cloud!”. Finally, she calls “He aotearoa - a long white cloud!” They have arrived at the islands of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Kupe steers the waka to the shore, and the group stops for a while to replenish their stocks and explore. Kupe then puts to sea and once again follows the trail of Te Wheke-oMuturangi, heading south. The waka eventually arrives at Rangiwhakaoma (Castlepoint, Wairarapa) where Kupe finds the wheke hiding in Te Ana-ote-Wheke-o-Muturangi (the cave of Muturangi’s octopus). Sensing that Kupe is near, the wheke escapes by night and crosses the treacherous seas between the two large islands, sheltering in the many sounds at the top of the southern island. Kupe and his people spend time recuperating on the land around Rangiwhakaoma before sailing a short distance further to the south and into Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour).
Kupe names the two islands in the harbour Matiu (Somes Island) and Mākaro (Ward Island) after two of his daughters, and other geographical features too, such as Te Aroaro-o-Kupe (Steeple Rock), Kirikiri-tatangi (Seatoun Beach), Te Tangihanga a Kupe (Barrett Reef) and Te Rimurapa (Sinclair Head).
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Kupe, his wife Hine-te-Aparangi, the high priest Ngāhue and their people leave Hawaiki aboard an ocean-going waka (canoe), Matawhaorua.
Determined to catch the wheke, Kupe decides to cross the wild water between the two islands (Te Moana-o-Raukawa Cook Strait). He leaves his wife and daughters behind, on a small island they call Te Mana-o-Kupe-ki-Aotearoa (Mana Island). Arriving at the top of the southern island, Kupe finally sights the wheke. A mighty fight ensues, and Kupe uses Ranga-tūwhenua, his toki (adze), to deliver the fatal blow. To commemorate the epic battle, Kupe names more features: Whekenui (a bay in the Marlborough sounds), Arapaoa (an island in the Marlborough Sounds) and Ngā Whatu (The Brothers, rocks at the entrance to the Marlborough Sounds). Victorious, he returns to his family. Now safely back on the northern island, Kupe journeys north along the west coast, exploring and naming many things along the way. He eventually arrives in the far north harbour, Hokianga - short for Te Hokianga-nui-o Kupe ki Hawaiki nui, Hawaiki roa, Hawaiki pāmamao - and from there decides to return to the Pacific. His departure completes the fantastic legend of Kupe. Kupe’s successful navigation from Aotearoa back to his homeland - Hawaiki - is remembered as his most significant feat, as it established him in Māori tradition as one of our greatest navigators.
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Rock Legends You might remember this story. A few years ago Florida resident Diane Duyser made herself a grilled cheese sandwich, took the first bite and got the shock of her life – the face of the Virgin Mary was looking back at her! After “hollering” at her husband, she decided the vision was so believable that she’d keep the sandwich. She put it into a plastic box and it lived on her bedside table for the next decade. The phenomenon she experienced is called ‘pareidolia’. Pareidolia covers a wide and diverse range of experiences, from seeing faces in objects to hearing hidden messages in music (when played in reverse or at high speed) and hearing indistinct voices in random noise (such as that produced by air-conditioners). And it’s perfectly normal – it’s widespread among people, countries and cultures, and with a general synchronicity of experiences. Our Rock Legends stamp issue focuses on nine distinctive examples of pareidolia, all found on huge rocks along New Zealand’s coastlines. Put your pareidolia skills to use and you’ll see an elephant (now, sadly, without a head or a trunk), a lion and a range of human faces – all dramatically exposed to the powerful forces of nature, and providing a fun visual experience for those who come to take a look.
fills in missing details. It essentially connects the dots – and even two dots for eyes and some kind of line for a mouth are enough for the brain to see Freddy Mercury or the Pope. And as you probably know, pareidolia is catching. If a friend says, “Can you see the horse in that cloud? There’s its tail”, your brain finds the pattern, builds the image and snaps it into place. And once you’ve seen it, it’s virtually impossible to un-see it. Whatever the reason behind its existence, pareidolia clearly has the power to delight, surprise and shock – no matter what the location or whatever the time of day. So be careful when you make that next grilled cheese sandwich for lunch; you might see someone staring back at you.
As is to be expected in our tech-intense world, you can find hundreds of hilarious examples of pareidolia online, with images of all sorts appearing on land, in the sky and in the minutiae of people’s daily lives. You can even find them in outer space thanks to NASA’s solar system exploration programme. For example, the Galle Crater on Mars earned the nickname ‘Happy Face Crater’ after a photograph taken by Viking Orbiter 1 in the 1970s revealed what appeared to be a smiley face in a line of mountains in the crater. NASA has also imaged Kermit the Frog and Bigfoot on Mars, found a nice picture of Homer Simpson on Mercury, and recorded countless ‘alien artefacts’ on the Moon and elsewhere. So what’s behind our uncanny ability to see faces and other objects in all kinds of places? You won’t be surprised to learn that pareidolia’s been the subject of intensive research, and some strong theories have emerged. According to many researchers, pareidolia is a prehistoric self-defence mechanism – after all, it was much better for our ancestors to see a hungry lion in the bushes that wasn’t there than to miss one that was. They say the brain is hardwired to perceive faces, and in fact an entire region of the brain, called the fusiform gyrus, is dedicated to it. Its functions are evident even from early childhood: studies have shown that shortly after birth, babies display more interest in cartoon faces with properly placed features than in similar images where the features are scrambled. It seems the ‘face neurons’ in people with healthy brains are so active that they perceive faces where there aren’t any. The brain de-emphasises details that don’t fit the pattern, makes more prominent those that are important to the pattern, and
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Christmas 2019 - Issue date: 6 November 2019 Celebrate the beauty of a Kiwi Christmas with these illustrated stamps featuring native New Zealand flora and fauna alongside the traditional Nativity story. The stamps feature fern fronds and koru, pĹ?hutukawa, harakeke, tÄŤ kouka and karaka. A beautiful kereru, or New Zealand wood pigeon, makes an appearance on the miniature sheet and first day cover.
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Upcoming stamp issues
2020 Year of the Rat - Issue date: 4 December 2019 Optimistic and energetic, people born in the Year of the Rat are sensitive, stubborn and straightforward. Owing to their positive contributions and flexibility at work, Rats are popular with their leaders. They are vigilant, well organised and full of ideas. These stamps celebrate the spirit of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac.
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Latest stamps from Niue & Tokelau John Pule, Niue 2019 Born in the village of Liku, Niue, John Pule moved with his family to New Zealand in 1964, at the age of two. The painter, printmaker, novelist and poet has been at the forefront of New Zealand contemporary art since he began painting in the early 1990s. Pule uses his art to explore his identity as a Niuean living in Aotearoa, migration and colonialism, and the history and mythology of his homeland. This stamp issue celebrates four paintings from Pule’s recent series of dream-like, technicolour works that incorporate towering plants and small human figures. Date of issue: 5 June 2019 Designer: Hannah Fortune, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Collectables and Solutions Centre, New Zealand Post, Whanganui, New Zealand Withdrawal date: 4 June 2020
Niue Moon Landing 50 Years On Tuesday 2 July 2019, the Moon - Mahina blocked the sun over the South Pacific Ocean, Chile and Argentina for a partial solar eclipse, and Niue was one of the best locations from which to view it. It will have been 50 years prior, in July 1969, that the Apollo 11 mission took the first humans to the surface of Mahina. Date of issue: 3 July 2019 Designer: Hannah Fortune, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Collectables and Solutions Centre, New Zealand Post, Whanganui, New Zealand Withdrawal date: 2 July 2020
Tokelau Moon Landing 50 Years The wonders of the night sky played an integral role in the population of the Pacific islands and atolls. Hundreds of years on from the human discovery of Tokelau, humans went on to navigate their way into the stars, and 2019 marks 50 years since the first person set foot on MÄ hina - the Moon. Date of issue: 3 July 2019 Designer: Saint Andrew Matautia, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Collectables and Solutions Centre, New Zealand Post, Whanganui, New Zealand Withdrawal date: 2 July 2020
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As the stamps of New Zealand have shown over the years, it is a great place for a holiday. However, in March 2020, stamp collectors will have another reason to visit.
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Visit New Zealand in 2020
An international stamp exhibition, NZ2020, is being held on 19-22 March in Auckland. This exhibition will have nearly 20,000 pages of world-class philatelic and picture postcard material on display, provided by collectors from all over Asia, Southern Africa, Australia and, of course, New Zealand. Exhibitors who enter must first meet specific criteria at one or more of their own national exhibitions. This ensures that a high standard of material will be on show and, because of the wide spread of countries participating, that many of the exhibits will be on subjects or use material rarely seen here or in your own country. Supporting the exhibiting stamp dealers, auction houses and stamp issuing authorities (including New Zealand Post Stamps and Coins) from all parts of the world will have material for sale or on offer, and many of them will also be willing to purchase material. The venue for the event is the Ellerslie Event Centre situated within the grounds of the Ellerslie Racecourse. New Zealand produces fine racehorses, many of which have raced with distinction at this course. These include Horlicks and Bonecrusher, who featured in the 1996 NZ Racehorses set of stamps. The Ellerslie Event Centre is within 10 minutes’ walking distance of the Greenlane Railway Station on the Auckland Southern Line. The Auckland Southern Motorway provides good connectivity to the north and south, while east and west links are by a good arterial road network. These routes have public transport services, while access by car is supported with free car parking adjacent to the venue. The official hotel for the event, the Ibis Auckland Ellerslie, is within five minutes’ walking distance, but there is a wide range of other accommodation in Auckland. In terms of ease of access to the venue and other activities within Auckland, this might be best found in the suburbs of Greenlane and Newmarket, or in the Auckland central business district. Check with your favoured accommodation provider. While you are busy at the exhibition, your partner or family may wish to visit the many attractions available in Auckland. These include the New Zealand Maritime Museum, which houses one of the nation’s most important heritage collections covering the breadth of New Zealand’s relationship with the sea; from the great Pacific migration a thousand years ago to the cutting edge of modern technology and design used in America’s Cup and modern yachting. Other places could include the Auckland War Memorial Museum, SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium, Sky Tower, Auckland Botanic Gardens, harbour cruises including visits to some of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf and much more. During the evenings you may want to visit one or more of the world-class restaurants providing for every taste. Before or after the exhibition you may wish to extend your stay. The South Island is well worth the effort with its many and varied sights and landscapes, while Auckland provides a convenient gateway to many attractions in the north and south, such as Rotorua, Bay of Islands, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. A visit the Tourism New Zealand website, tourismnewzealand.com, will help you to plan an itinerary. During March of each year, Pasifika Festivals are held throughout New Zealand. These festivals are platforms for tasting delicious food, seeing powerful music and dance performances, browsing the markets for arts and crafts, and getting insights into traditional practices in diverse Pacific cultures. The largest of this type of festival in the world will be held in Auckland on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March, just four days before NZ2020 opens. If you’d like more than just attractive sites and what to experience some of arts, culture, sport or other events, check eventfinda.co.nz. 13
Recent coin issues New Zealand Lighthouses: Tiritiri Matangi
Many of New Zealand’s original lighthouses are still in operation, ensuring safe passage around our treacherous coast and into harbours. New Zealand’s oldest operational lighthouse illuminates the approach to the City of Sails, Auckland. The original tower now houses a modern light, monitored remotely from Wellington, New Zealand’s capital.
This stunning 1oz silver proof coin shows this classic structure standing over koru-like motifs, representing the churning sea. Its ultraviolet ink light beam is visible only under black light. Date of issue: March 2019 Designer: Hannah Fortune, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Mint: Royal Dutch Mint Worldwide mintage: 1,500
Kupe – The Great Navigator The stories of the great Polynesian navigator Kupe and his epic ocean journey have been handed down over time in the oral traditions of Māori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand. Although there are many tales of navigators, it is Kupe who is credited with discovering the Land of the Long White Cloud. This set of coins focuses on the battle between Kupe and the mighty octopus, Te Wheke-o-Muturangi. It was minted in gold, and silver. Date of issue: June 2019 Designer: Dave Burke, Tauranga, New Zealand Mint: BH Mayer's Kunstrpägeanstalt GmbH Worldwide mintage: 2 x 1oz silver proof coins: 500 2 x ½oz gold proof coins: 150
New Zealand Space Pioneers In 2019 the world celebrated 50 years since the first Moon landing, offering New Zealanders a chance to reflect on their own country’s contribution to the space sciences. This 1oz silver proof coin depicts a view of Earth from behind the Moon. New Zealand is visible and above it hangs the Southern Cross, in a nod to the stars on the national flag. The rim of the coin is designed to look like the inside of a rocket or space station window. Date of issue: May 2019 Designer: Hannah Fortune, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Mint: BH Mayer’s Kunstrpägeanstalt GmbH Worldwide mintage: 1,500
2020 Kiwi Before human settlement of New Zealand, rowi were widespread throughout the northern South Island and into the southern North Island, as far north as Hawkes Bay. There is now only one natural population of about 600 rowi, which resides in Ōkārito forest and surrounds in the South Island. The koru on the coin represent the five kiwi species found in Aotearoa. Date of issue: August 2019 Designer: Andrew Matautia, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand Mint: BH Mayer’s Kunstrpägeanstalt GmbH Worldwide mintage: ¼oz gold proof coin: 300 1oz silver proof coin with colour printing: 2,500 1oz silver specimen coin with black nickel plating: 7,500 5oz silver specimen coin with black nickel plating: 300
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nzpost.co.nz/stamps
We are delighted to welcome Antony Harris as the new Head of Stamps and Collectables. Ant joined the team on 12 August, after 19 years with Immigration New Zealand.
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Introducing Antony Harris What would you like collectors to know about yourself? I have a passion for collectables. I have a Lord of the Rings museum in my house with Weta Workshop models and New Zealand Post stamps and coins. I have been buying and selling collectables for more than 20 years. What do you bring to the table? Excitement, passion, new ideas. Why are you excited to lead the Stamps and Collectables team? Because it’s made up of a passionate, talented and diverse bunch of people who work in a unique space. In my view, New Zealand Post produces some of the best stamp and coin collectables in the world in terms of quality, brand and the promotion of local heritage, culture and history. What are you looking forward to most about this new role? This is a dream job for me, and it is a privilege to be part of the stamps and coins business. I am looking forward to learning as much as I can from all the people and stakeholders involved in this exciting space. Who are your dream dinner party guests? Greg Broadmore, Jon Toogood, Taika Waititi and Alan Hollows (the legend). I would be recommending that we end the night with a fine single malt scotch.
2018 Kiwi - limited opportunity Due to a canceled order, a very limited quantity of 2018 Kiwi 5oz silver proof coins has become available! To secure yours, email collectables@nzpost.co.nz or call 0800 782 677.
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Philatelic calendar Here’s a look at what’s coming up in the philatelic community. OCTOBER 19
Christchurch Stamp & Postcard Fair 9am to 12pm, Philatelic Centre, 67 Mandeville Street, Christchurch
NOVEMBER 2
Christchurch Stamp & Postcard Fair 9am to 12pm, Philatelic Centre, 67 Mandeville Street, Christchurch Browns Bay Stamp Fair 9am to 3.30pm, Senior Citizens Rooms, 9 Inverness Road, Browns Bay Ambury Shield 10am, Fairfield Baptist Church Hall, 1101 Heaphy Terrace Hamilton
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Lower Hutt Stamp Fair 10am to 3pm, James Coe 2, Dowse Museum, Lower Hutt
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Christchurch Stamp & Postcard Fair 9am to 12pm, Philatelic Centre, 67 Mandeville Street, Christchurch
DECEMBER 1
Lower Hutt Stamp Fair 10am to 3pm, James Coe 2, Dowse Museum, Lower Hutt
7
Christchurch Stamp & Postcard Fair 9am to 12pm, Philatelic Centre, 67 Mandeville Street, Christchurch
21
Christchurch Stamp & Postcard Fair 9am to 12pm, Philatelic Centre, 67 Mandeville Street, Christchurch
This schedule was correct at the time of print and is subject to change. For further information, contact the New Zealand Philatelic Federation.
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nzpost.co.nz/stamps
Government Flying Service - Operations
Hong Kong
Date of issue: 28 February 2019
2019 Hong Kong Year of the Pig Date of issue: 12 January 2019
Set of four gummed stamps $3.80
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
International stamps
Stamp sheetlet with one gummed stamp $2.40 Set of six gummed stamps $5.30
Stamp sheetlet with one gummed stamp $2.40
First day cover with four gummed stamps affixed $4.70 First day cover with six gummed stamps affixed $6.20 First day cover with stamp sheetlet affixed $3.40 Prestige first day cover with four stamps affixed $6.30
Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District Xiqu Centre Date of issue: 19 March 2019
Silk sheetlet with stamp afffixed $12.20
Silk sheetlet first day cover $13.10 Stamp sheetlet with $10 gummed stamp $2.40
Special sheetlet with $20 gummed stamp $4.80
First day cover with $10 gummed stamp sheetlet affixed. $3.30
First day cover with $20 gummed special stamp sheetlet affixed $5.80
First day cover with gummed sheetlet affixed $3.40
2019 Hong Kong Lunar New Year Animals Dog and Pig Date of issue: 12 January 2019
Stamp sheetlet with one gummed stamp $2.40
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Hong Kong Centenary of Pok Oi Hospital 1919 - 2019
Hong Kong Heartwarming 2019 Date of issue: 11 June 2019
Date of issue: 2 April 2019
First day cover with six gummed stamps affixed $5.50
First day cover with four gummed stamps affixed $4.80 Set of six gummed stamps $4.60
Underwater World of Hong Kong
Set of four gummed stamps $3.80
Date of issue: 16 July 2019
First day cover with gummed souvenir sheet affixed $4.80 Gummed souvenir sheet $3.80 First day cover with six gummed stamps affixed $6.30
Hong Kong Our Police Force Date of issue: 30 April 2019 Set of six gummed stamps $5.30
Stamp sheetlet with one gummed stamp $2.50 Set of six gummed stamps $5.40
First day cover with gummed souvenir sheet affixed $6.30 Gummed miniature sheet $5.30
Hong Kong World Heritage in China Series No.8: Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape Date of issue: 13 August 2019
First day cover with six gummed stamps affixed $6.30
First day cover with stamp sheetlet affixed $3.40
Hong Kong Post’s Participation in China 2019 World Stamp Exhibition Date of issue: 11 June 2019 Stamp sheetlet with one gummed stamp $2.60
Stamp sheetlet with one gummed stamp $2.50 First day cover with stamp sheetlet affixed $3.50
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First day cover with gummed sheetlet affixed $3.60
nzpost.co.nz/stamps
Pitcairn Paintings of the HMAV Bounty Date of issue: 27 February 2019
Pitcairn 50th Anniversary of Man Landing on the Moon Date of issue: 19 July 2019
Focus issue 68 - October 2019
Pitcairn Island
First day cover with four gummed stamps affixed $14.40 Set of four gummed stamps $12.50 Set of four gummed stamps $11.60
Pitcairn 50th Anniversary of Man Landing on the Moon Date of issue: 19 July 2019
First day cover with four gummed stamps affixed $13.50 Gummed miniature sheet $9.50
Pitcairn Fragrant Flowers Date of issue: 30 April 2019
First day cover with four gummed stamps affixed $11.40 Gummed miniature sheet $11.20
First day cover with gummed miniature sheet affixed $13.10
Pitcairn Reed Warbler Date of issue: 14 June 2019
Strip of three gummed stamps $9.50
First day cover with three gummed stamps affixed $11.40
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T U I A
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Embark on a journey of discovery with original paintings by Michel Tuffery nzpost.co.nz/tuia250
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