Postage stamps and postal history of New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s have been issued in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
since around the 18th to 20th of July 1855 with the "Chalon head
Chalon head
The Chalon Head is the name of a number of postage stamp series whose illustration was inspired by a portrait of Queen Victoria by Alfred Edward Chalon ....
" stamps figuring Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. The design was based on a full face portrait of the Queen in her state robes at the time of her coronation in 1837, by Alfred Edward Chalon
Alfred Edward Chalon
Alfred Edward Chalon was a Swiss portrait painter. He lived in London where he was noticed by Queen Victoria.- Biography :...
. The stamps were initially hand cut from sheets, but from 1862 on, these sheets started being fed through automatic perforation machines.
Universal one penny postage
While concern was expressed that Post Office revenues would fall, mail volumes increased sharply and by 1902 any losses had been recovered.
First stamp vending machine
New Zealand was the first country in the world to prototype and install stamp vending machines; one was installed in the General Post Office, Wellington in 1905.Postal stationery
The first items of postal stationeryPostal stationery
A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related service has been prepaid...
to be issued by New Zealand were postcards on 1 November 1876. The next item of postal stationery to be issued were newspaper wrappers on 1 April 1878. Lettercard
Lettercard
In philately a lettercard or letter card is a postal stationery item consisting of a folded card with a prepaid imprinted stamp. The fact that it is folded over gives the writer twice as much room for the message compared with a postal card. The message is written on the inside and the card is...
s were first issued on 1 January 1895, registered envelopes on 21 Jun 1898, envelopes on 4 June 1899 and air letter sheets or aerogrammes on 17 November 1941.
Deregulation
The postalPostal
Postal may refer to:* Mail, the postal service* The Postal Service, a band* "Going postal", the U.S. slang phrase meaning a killing spree* Going Postal, a 2004 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett...
system in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
was deregulated on 1 April 1998, meaning several different independent mail companies now exist. But in practice the state owned New Zealand Post
New Zealand Post
New Zealand Post, commonly referred by its acronym, NZPost is a State owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand.-History:...
still delivers nearly all letters.
Other carriers
Independent New Zealand post companies which issue their own stamps include DX Mail, Fastway Post, New Zealand Mail and Petes Post.See also
- Health stampHealth stampHealth stamps are a long-running series of charity stamp issued by New Zealand which include a premium for charitable causes in addition to the charge for postal service.-History:...
- List of people on stamps of New Zealand
- Postage stamps and postal history of the Ross DependencyPostage stamps and postal history of the Ross DependencyRoss Dependency stamps have been issued by New Zealand postalauthorities for use on mail from Scott Base since 1957.Overprinted New Zealand stamps had been used for mail on two earlierexpeditions to the region.-King Edward VII Land:...