NEW
ZEALAND
POST
PHILATELIC
OFFICE
BULLETIN
Inquiries about New Zealand and Island Dependencies Stamps are to be addressed to the Director-General. Postal Division, G.P.O., Wellington. N.Z.
May. 1966
No. 39.
I.
NEW ZEAlAND
Health Stamps, 1966
New Zealand's 1966 Realth stamp issue will again feature native birds. Designed in the Public Relations Division of the General Post Office, Wellington, and printed by Messrs Harrison and Sons Limited, London, the stamps will depict two well-known forest birds, the weka and the bellbird. Both birds will be shown in their natural colours the weka against a background of native ferns and the bellbird on the bough of the native kowhai tree. The denominations will be 4d. (3d. postage
+ 1d. Health) and 5d. (4d. postage + 1d. Health);
NEW ZEAlAND
1966
and the year of issue will be shown on both stamps. The large sheets contain 120 stamps in six rows of 20. The sheet values, ÂŁ2 for the 4d. denomination and ÂŁ2 10s.Od. for the 5d., appear at the top right-hand corner and the printer's imprint and the plate numbers are shown on the bottom left-hand corner. The plate numbers for the 4d. value are 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A 1A; for the 5d. value they are 1A 1A 1A 1A. The stamps will appear in vertical format and will measure 21mm x 37mm excluding perforation gutters. They have been printed by the photogravure process. Miniature sheets will contain six stamps and one sheet of each denomination will cost 4s.6d.
The stamps will be available from Wednesday, 3rd August, and unless stocks are exhausted earlier, will be withdraw~ from sale at post offices and the Postal Divisi0r, General Post Office, Wellington, on 30th November, 1966.
Pictorial dates tamps will be in use on the first day of issue at each of the six ;ermanent Health Camp post offices. These camps are situated at Maunu (Whangarei), Pakuranga (Auckland), Gisborne (Gisborne), Otaki (Wellington), Glenelg (Christchurch), and Roxburgh (Dunedin). New Zealand residents wishing to have envelopes cancelled with the special datestamps should forward their addressed envelopes under cover to the Chief Postmasters at the offices shown in parenthesis. A remittance to cover the cost of the stamps required, plus a servicing fee of 2d. for each envelope is to be forwarded with each order. The King George the Fifth Memorial Children's Health Camps Federation is again prOViding a souvenir envelope which will be on sale at most stores and stationers in New Zealand at a cost of 3d. The envelope will be attractively produced and will depict at the left, a lad reaching out and looking to the future and also the slogans "Health Stamps Maintain Health Camps" and "Children are our future citizens. Let us keep them healthy". Overseas clients may now place orders with the Director-General, Fostal D1v1sion, General Post Office, Wellington, for first day covers and mint stamps. Those persons requiring first day cancellations should post their orders in time to reach here by 31st july, 1966. Souvenir envelopes produced by the Health Camps ?ederation will be available at a cost of 3d. each and a servicing fee of 2d. for each cover will be charged. If addressed covers are supplied the servicing fee will be 2d. for each cover. Background Notes Although the weka is furnished with wings it is unable to fly anc uses its wings only when running. Noted for its lack of fear and its incurable inquisitiveness, this bird is the protector of the nests of many other birds, killing their worst enemy during the nesting season, the rat. Rats form part of the weka's diet which also includes crickets, worms, grubs, lizards, berries, mice, young rabbi ts taken from warrens and ever: fish caught from shallow pools. The ~est is built on or near the ground and the parents assist in feeding the young until they are nearly fully grown. Before nesting begins again, however, the young are driven to new territory. In 1770 Captain Cook aptly described the no~ well-known song of the bellbird when he likened it to the sound of "small bells exquisitely tuned". This is one of the most difficult birds to see in the New Zealand bush as the colour of its feathers blend perfectly with the background. For many years following the settlement of New Zealand its numbers decreased rapidly and only in the last 30 years, as the bird has adapted itself to new conditions, have they begun to increase at a steady rate. The variety of the bellbird I s taste with regard to its food is of the factors contributing to its steady increase in numbers as the birds feeds on insects and the nectar and berries of both native OD~
Both parents work at the bUilding of the and imported trees. nests and the young birds continue to be fed even after they are fully grown. 2.
Reprints of Certain Denominations
Reprints of the 2s.Od., 3s.Od., 5s.0d. and 10s.0d. denominations of the 1960 Pictorial issue have been received and show slight variations of shading in each case. The plate numbers of the 2s.0d. value, 1A 1A, remain unchanged. The sheets of the other denominations do not bear plate numbers. 3.
Cook Islands Postage Stamps
Former17 the New Zealand Post Office arranged the production and distribution of Cook Islands postage stamps but with the advent of Internal Self Government these arrangements have rightly been taken over by the Cook Islands Government. It was suggested by the Cook Islands Government that thp New Zealand Post Office might continue to sell Cook Islands stamps but not all issues would be made available. This would ha"re meant that clients who ordered their requirements from the Ne~ Zealand Post Office could not be assured that their stamp requirements for all issues would be met as has been done in the past. For these reasons the New Zealand Post Office will not be handling any further issues of Cook Islands stamps. Those which are currently available will be withdrawn from sale on 14th May. Orders for current and future issues of Cook Islands stamps should now be placed.~ith the Postmaster, Rarotonga. On April 22nd, 1966, a special Cook Islands airmail issue comprising nine overprinted stamps was placed on sale but was not handled by the New Zealand Post Office. The special issue comprised the following denominations: 6d., ?d., 10d., 1s.0d., 1s.6d., 2s.3d., 5s.0d., 10s.0d. and ÂŁ1 - a total face value of ÂŁ2 1s.8d. ... Fillers
Clients are advised to enclose tillers when forwarding covers for servicing. 5. Special Stamps Available by Post
The following special stamps have been withdrawn from sale at post offices but may be ordered by post from the Director-General, Postal Division, General Post Office, Wellington. Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, they will be available until the date shown. Stamps International Co-operation Year Churchill Commemorative Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference
Denominations. 4d.
7d. 40.. (plates
1A 1A 1A 1A~ 1B 1B 1B 1B)
Available until 30. 6.66 30. 6.66 31. 8.66
Stamps
Denominations
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference Christmas 1965
9d. (plate 1A 1A 1A 1A) 2s.0d.
6.
3d. (plate 1A 1A 1A 1A) only
Available until 31. 8.66 Stocks exhausted 30. 7.66
Offices Opened and Closed
OPENED
!!2! Brockville Hillpark *Leamington Nawton Victoria University
District Dunedin Auckland Hamilton Hamilton Wellington
~
1. 14. 16. 28. 21.
3.66 2.66 3.66 2.66 2.66
*re-opened CLOSED
!!2!
District
Cass Enfield Moeroa Poranui
Christchurch Oamaru New Plymouth Christchureh Whangarei
~atuwhiwhi
20. 1.66 14. 1.66 30.11.65 29. 1.66 31. 3.66
7. Rubber Hand-eancellers : Extension of Service
Further supplies of rubber hand-cancellers have recently come to hand and, commencing with the 1966 Health stamps, the "first day of issue" hand-canceller service will be extended to all 21 Chief Post Offices. Special posting boxes will be provided at the Chief Offices and all covers posted in the special boxes will be postmarked with the rubber hand-cancellers instead of the usual steel hand datestamps. Persons residing outside the 21 Chief Office cities or towns who are desirous of having covers marked with the hand-cancellers should forward their remittance and addressed envelopes under cover to the Chief Postmasters concerned with a request that the envelopes be cancelled with the rubber hand-canceller. A servicing fee of 2d. for each cover should be included in the remittance and the outside cover or wrapping should be endorsed "Covers for cancellation with hand-canceller on 3rd August". Written requests should reach Chief Postmasters not later than Monday, 1st August.