Recent stamp issues

Sarah Featon - Botanical Artist

The Art Album of New Zealand Flora was the first full-colour art book published in New Zealand. Firmly grounded in science, it also had popular appeal and shared mātauranga, Māori knowledge. Today, Sarah Featon’s vibrant watercolours are celebrated as works of art in their own right. Sarah and her husband Edward hoped the Art Album would inspire a love of New Zealand’s flora. Many of the plants illustrated and described by the Featons are now widely cultivated in botanic and home gardens around the world.

Date of issue: 5 May 2021 Designer: Hannah Fortune, NZ Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 4 May 2022

Whānau Mārama - Family of Light

Tamanuiterā (the Sun) and Marama (the Moon), together with Ngā Whetū Matariki (the Pleiades star cluster) make up the family of heavenly bodies known as Te Whānau Mārama (The Family of Light). Knowledge of the relationship between these celestial bodies has been handed down over time through wānanga (schools of learning) and pūrakau (folk stories) of Māori. A reacceptance of Matariki by Aotearoa New Zealand as a time to celebrate the Māori New Year has seen a rekindled interest in this old Māori knowledge. This stamp issue illustrates the stories that have carried it through the generations. Date of issue: 2 June 2021 Designer: Dave Burke, Tauranga, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 1 June 2022

2021 Scenic Definitives

.The 2021 Scenic Definitives feature two previously issued designs depicting Auckland - New Zealand’s largest city - and a bridge over the Waikato, New Zealand’s longest river.

The new $4.10 stamp depicts Castle Hill, Canterbury. Also known as Kura Tāwhiti, this part of the Canterbury Plains is home to a striking collection of limestone tors. Date of issue: 2 June 2021 Designer: NZ Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Collectables, Whanganui Withdrawal date: None

2021 KiwiStamps

In 2020 Tourism New Zealand launched Do Something New New Zealand, a campaign designed to inspire Kiwis to step into the shoes of the international tourists who have been unable to visit due to COVID-19. A fresh set of KiwiStamps reflects this message with a focus on the joys of getting outdoors. Date of issue: 7 July 2021 Designer: NZ Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: None

In 2021 NZ Post brought CourierPost, Pace and Rural Post under the single banner of NZ Post, with a new logo and refreshed visual identity. The new NZ Post logo is a symbol consisting of a circle, intersected by two parallel lines to form a unique stylised ‘P’, evocative of roads, tracks, and networks. In these six collectable stamps, the designers have reinterpreted the new NZ Post logo’s forms and colours to create a series that represents connection, movement and energy. Date of issue: 9 July 2021 Designer: Inhouse Design, Auckland, New Zealand Printer: NZ Post Collectables, Whanganui, New Zealand Withdrawal date: 8 July 2022

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) is the National Paralympic Committee for New Zealand. Spirit of Gold is a term used to describe the dual purpose of PNZ: ‘gold’ to recognise its high-performance credentials and ‘spirit’ to represent caring for and inspiring communities. Paralympians once again took to one of the greatest stages in the world between 24 August and 5 September 2021 for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Through their amazing successes, Paralympians are incredible role models, challenging societal perceptions of disabled people worldwide. Date of issue: 4 August 2021 Designer: John Morris, NZ Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 3 August 2022

HRH Prince Philip 1921 - 2021

When Prince Philip retired from public life in 2017 at the age of 96, it was reported that he had appeared at more than 22,000 official events and delivered some 5,500 speeches in the course of his career. He made ten visits to Aotearoa New Zealand with HRH Queen Elizabeth II and one solo tour in 1956. In the same year he co-founded the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, a programme designed to instil in young people “a sense of responsibility to themselves and their communities”. Prince Philip died aged 99 on 9 April, 2021. Date of issue: 4 August 2021 Designer: Helcia Knapp, Mopsy Creative, Kapiti, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 3 August 2022

Royalpex 2021 National Stamp Exhibition

NZ Post is a proud sponsor of the Royalpex 2021 National Stamp Exhibition. A miniature sheet was issued ahead of the scheduled date of 10-12 September at the Palmerston North Conference & Function Centre. The miniature sheet includes two stamps from the 2021 Lord of the Rings stamp issue. The exhibition has now been postponed to 19-21 November. Royalpex 2021 is a New Zealand National Stamp Exhibition organised by the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand, under the patronage of the New Zealand Philatelic Federation. Date of issue: 10 September 2021 Designer: Sacha Lees, Wellington, New Zealand and NZ Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 9 September 2022

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 20th Anniversary

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first film release in the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy. One of modern cinema’s greatest achievements, the film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards. Celebrating the anniversary, a set of six stamps and miniature sheets features key moments from the film, with original paintings by award-winning Wellington artist Sacha Lees. Lees worked as a designer and sculptor on the films and designed NZ Post’s The Fellowship of the Ring stamps in 2001. Date of issue: 1 September 2021 Designer: Sacha Lees, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 31 August 2022

Ross Dependency Megafauna

Established in 2017, the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area (Ross MPA) protects more than 1.5 million square kilometres of the Southern Ocean. Supported by New Zealand government funding and with a wide range of research partnerships and international collaborators, the Ross Research and Monitoring Programme studies one of the most remote, inhospitable, and least understood environments on the planet. This stamp issue highlights some of the fascinating megafauna that thrive in this habitat, with photos by Luke Keehan. Keehan captured these images while assisting researchers conducting field work with emperor penguins and Weddell seals. Date of issue: 1 September 2021 Designer: Helcia Berryman, Mopsy Creative, Kapiti Coast Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 31 August 2022

Shubh Diwali

Many New Zealand Indian households celebrate Diwali, attending regional festivals, organising community gatherings and participating in devotional worship. The first of the five days of Diwali is Dhanteras (Dun-te-rus), a day spent shopping for gold or silver, new clothing and gifts. The following day is spent decorating the home to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi (depicted here) who brings good fortune and prosperity. The third and main day of the festival usually includes a feast and fireworks, with prayers to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. Day four is dedicated to visiting friends and family, distributing trays of mithai (mee-tay) - sweets - and exchanging gifts. Bhai Dhooj, dedicated solely to the strong bond between a brother and a sister, marks the end of Diwali. Date of issue: 7 October 2021 Designer: John Morris, NZ Post, Wellington, New Zealand Printer: Southern Colour Print by offset lithography Withdrawal date: 6 October 2022