| | | | Dear Kakashka | CUSTOMER NUMBER:. |
| | | Welcome! This month I am delighted to highlight several exciting new additions to our Stamp and Collectables range. From our Matariki and Prince Caspian stamp issues to our final Silver Dollar V coins, whether your area of focus is stamps or coins, there is something for everyone to enjoy. I was thrilled to participate in the launch of our Kingitanga stamp issue at Turangawaewae marae in Ngaruawahia on the 2nd May. Unveiled by King Tuheitia, the Maori King, it was a momentous occasion for all involved and a fitting event to celebrate the 150th year of the Kingitanga Movement. Speaking of celebrations, keep your eyes to the night skies this June, because you'll witness an event that happens just once a year - and one that traditionally has huge significance for Maori in New Zealand. A constellation of seven stars will appear. Commonly called the Pleiades, they are 'Matariki' to Maori, and they signal the start of a new year. This is a time of celebration - welcoming the promise of better things to come - and of reflection, remembering those who've passed on and bidding farewell to the joys, pains and difficulties of the past. NZ Post is proud to be joining the festivities with a wonderful set of stamps depicting six aspects of the Matariki tradition.
As you will be well aware, in January 2008, one of New Zealand's greatest heroes passed away. New Zealand Post is honoured to release a special coin to celebrate Sir Edmund Hillary's achievements - as the first man to conquer Mt Everest and as someone who dedicated much of his life to improving the lives of others. In honour of the day Sir Ed reached the summit, these coins will be released on the 29th May - exactly 55 years after he conquered Everest. A significant part of our nation's identity, this extraordinary New Zealander will be sorely missed.
We've also released a coin for an icon of our animal kingdom. The Haast tokoeka kiwi is a fitting choice for the final in our Silver Dollar kiwi series; with a population of just 300-350, the Haast tokoeka is one of our rarest. Please take a few minutes to view the links in this newsletter. You'll find an abundance of beautiful collectables - your challenge will be choosing those that you order! Your sincerely
Ivor Masters
General Manager Stamps and Collectables
| | | | |  | | | | Matariki Stamp Issue | | 
For the Maori people, the night skies in June traditionally have huge significance: they herald the dawn of a new Maori year. The annual appearance of the seven stars of 'Mataraki' (or the Pleiades constellation) signals a time for renewal, reflection and celebration!
New Zealand Post is delighted to join the Matariki festivities with this, the first in a series of annual stamp issues, exploring different aspects of Maori culture and heritage. Taking a fascinating journey through Maori history and culture, we celebrate not only the constellation itself but also connections to the sea, to the land and to family (whanau). We also learn about the Maori worldview in which the gods, Sky Father Ranginui, Earth Mother Papatuanuku and their children, personify the dramatic forces of nature. The stamp collection includes two first day covers, a miniature sheet and a presentation pack. It also includes a prestigious Limited Edition, featuring insightful commentary from Dr Hirini Moko Mead, a foremost authority on Maori art and culture. | | |  |
| | Sir Edmund Hillary Commemorative Coin | | "In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed." 
The extraordinary accomplishments of iconic New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary are being commemorated in two limited edition coins issued by New Zealand Post with the exclusive support of Lady June Hillary.
The 24 carat gold and pure silver coins, bearing the legend 'A Lifetime of Achievement', depict Sir Edmund against a backdrop of the world's highest peak, Mt Everest, which he successfully reached at the age of 33 with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay 55 years ago on 29 May 1953. While he shot to international fame following his Everest accomplishment, he is equally renowned for his subsequent achievements in mountaineering and Antarctic expeditions, his devotion to the Nepalese people through his founding of the Himalayan Trust and his support of the great outdoors. Following his passing in January 2008, these very special New Zealand coins will be released on the 29th May, paying tribute to this extraordinary but humble man who will be remembered for ever. Details are yet to be confirmed but New Zealand Post also hopes to release a special commemorative stamp issue later this year honouring Sir Ed. | | | | | | |  | | | | Prince Caspian Stamp Issue | | 
New Zealand is rapidly cementing its place as a superb filmmaking location - so after the success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, it was no surprise that Kiwi director Andrew Adamson chose to return to direct the next in the Narnia series. Our breathtaking, largely unpopulated landscape offered ample opportunities for the drama, intrigue and adventure of Prince Caspian. New Zealand locations chosen for this latest instalment included Hereherataura Peninsula for the ruins of the castle Cair Paravel, and the South Island's west coast, renowned for its craggy coastline and lush native rainforest. Proud of New Zealand's contribution, New Zealand Post is delighted to present this range of Prince Caspian stamps and collectables - a new addition to the movie-based issues that have proved so popular with collectors and movie-goers alike. | | | | |
| | Kingitanga Stamp Issue | | 
The Maori King Movement or Kingitanga is a movement that arose among some Maori tribes of New Zealand in the 1850s to establish a symbolic role similar in status to that of the monarch of the colonising people, the British. Since the mid-1800s the Kingitanga has been a force in New Zealand society. The Kingitanga movement combines spiritual and political elements which conserve the "turangawaewae" (standpoints) of the past with practical leadership in the contemporary Maori world. The position of Maori monarch is a non-constitutional role with no legal power in New Zealand, but it is a symbolic role invested with a high degree of mana (prestige). Since the 1850s the role has been vested in the Tainui iwi (tribe) who agreed to guard the position when it was created. The current Maori monarch, Tuheitia Paki, is descended from the first Maori king, Potatau Te Wherowhero, and was elected in 2006. His official residence is Turongo House at Turangawaewae marae in the town of Ngaruawahia. This stamp issue was unveiled at Turangawaewae marae on the 1st of May by King Tuheitia, the Maori King. | | | | | | |  | | | | Hamilton's Frog Coin | 2008 Annual Coin: Hamilton's frog - the rarest in the world! 
2008 is the International Year of the Frog. Organisations from all over the world will be doing their bit to increase the awareness of the need to protect our amphibians - natural indicators of the quality of our environment.
New Zealand Post is proud to be a part of this huge initiative through the release of this 2008 edition to our successful endangered New Zealand native animal coin series - Hamilton's frog. This legal tender coin collection includes a fine silver proof coin (0.999) and set and a brilliant uncirculated coin and set. | | | | |
| | NZ Silver Dollar V - Haast tokoeka kiwi | | 
This much anticipated finale in the annual New Zealand Silver Dollar coin series honours the Haast tokoeka (Apteryx australis 'Haast') - one of our largest and most endangered kiwi species. The Haast tokoeka completes this special collection which has also featured the Rowi (2004), Little Spotted kiwi (2005), North Island Brown kiwi (2006) and the Great Spotted kiwi (2007). The tokoeka gets its name from its kaitiaki (guardians) Ngâi Tahu, and means 'weka' (bird) with a 'toko' (walking stick). The mountain-loving Haast tokoeka has only recently been identified as distinct from the other three tokoeka. They are mainly found at the bush line and fertile base of mountain slopes in the isolated Haast area of South Westland in the South Island of New Zealand. These exquisite pure silver (0.999) limited edition coins are gorgeous reminders of the kiwi - an international symbol of New Zealand's identity. These legal tender coins are offered to you in a choice of a striking silver proof and specimen quality bullion finish.
Concluding our highly popular series of Silver Dollar kiwi coins available in this format, order your 2008 Silver Dollar coin today to avoid disappointment! | | | | | | |  | | | | Agency Releases | In addition to New Zealand stamp issues, we also offer products from the following administrations and territories: Hong Kong, United Nations, Ross Dependency, Vanuatu, Tonga and Niuafo'ou, Pitcairn Island, Malta, Fiji and Samoa.
The latest stamp product releases are fully documented and illustrated on our website. | | | | | | | | |
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