The Lunar New Year is an increasingly significant cultural festival celebrated in New Zealand each year. For the past 24 years, New Zealand Post has commemorated the occasion with sets of stamps and other collectable products. The Year of the Ox was no exception, and we were delighted to attend both the Auckland and Wellington Chinese New Year festivals in January and February to share our products and celebrate the new year. Programme Manager Lynette Townsend tells us more about presenting our new designs by Ying-Min Chu.
Focus issue 71 - April 2021
2021 Year of the Ox
In Auckland, the festival was opened by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, adding ceremony to the occasion and reinforcing the importance of the Lunar New Year as an important community event in Aotearoa New Zealand. A crowd of predominantly new Chinese New Zealanders was in attendance. Many people spoke Chinese as their first language and a large number were after gifts to send to family and friends in China. Despite the smaller-than-usual crowd, the festival was buzzing with a sense of celebraton. In Wellington, Chinese Kiwis and New Zealanders of all backgrounds flocked to explore Chinese New Year keepsakes. This year we issued a commemorative pin which was popular in the capital. Customers enjoyed being able to buy our gold products, the premium collectables in our Year of the Ox range. At both events we were delighted to receive positive feedback on our new stamp and medallion designs. The Year of the Ox designs mark a new design direction that we will continue for the several years. Designer Ying-Min Chu visited our Wellington stall and was able to talk directly with customers about the products and her designs. It was a rich and enjoyable experience for the customers as well as Ying. For me personally, it was very exciting and my first time representing New Zealand Post at public events. Every opportunity to engage directly with our customers is a golden opportunity, and this was certainly the case for the two Chinese New Year festivals.
Smita Sali and Lynette Townsend talk to members of the public at the Wellington Chinese New Year Festival.
2021 Year of the Ox stamps and collectables were issued on 2 December 2020. Stamps, presentation packs, pins, medallions and gold-foiled products are available now. 11
