Series 4 new zealand philatelic bulletin no 35 1986 april

April 1986 Issue 35.

~~ Philatelic

~ZEALAMl

POSTOFFlCE

PHLATEUC

Philatelic Bulletin Bulletin philatelique Philatelistische Nachrichten

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Motorcycles have been a popular form of transport in New Zealand since the first machines were seen here towards the end of the nineteenth century. Today's sophisticated machines are a far cry from those early models, but for many people it is still the vintage era of motorcycling that holds the most fascination. Four machines from that era appear on a special topic stamp issue that was released on March 5.

The 1986 Vintage Transport stamp issue features a 1920 1000cc Indian Power Plus (35c); a 1927 500cc Norton (45c); a 1930 500cc BSA (60c); and a 1915 550cc Triumph (75c). Michael Wyatt of Queenstown designed the stamps and also a First Day Cover which was available at a cost of $2.32, and featured a helmet and goggles from the vintage era.

Vintage motorcycles are defined in New Zealand as those manufactured before the end of 1931. An amazing number of these machines have been preserved, or restored to original condition, thanks to the many vintage enthusiasts all over the country.

The first riders of these machines also had to be enthusiasts. When the first motorcycles arrived in New Zealand, around the turn of the century, the horse still ruled the roads and the roads were extremely rough outside towns.

Motorcycles however proved to be the ideal vehicles for those adventurous people who were determined to exploit the speed and freedom of motor transport but were unable to

stamp issue represent some of the better-known American and British makes that have stood the test of time.

The 1000cc Indian Power Plus (35c) was one of a large range of motorcycles produced by the Hendee Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, between 1901 and 1953.

All three of the other featured machines represent major British manufacturers who, between them, were a dominant force in the New Zealand motorcycle scene for over half a century. Norton (45c) was a famous company founded by Mr J. L. Norton at Birmingham in 1901.

The Birmingham Small Arms Company, BSA, (60c) has been producing motorcycles since about 1910. Another great British name in motorcycles, Triumph (75c) is represented by the early "Type H" roadster of 1915.

Today in New Zealand, as in much of the world, Japanese motorcycles tend to dominate the marketplace and the famous names recalled by the Vintage Transport stamp issue are reminiscent of another age.

All four stamps are of horizontal format and measure 28.45mm x 42.58mm. They are printed in sheets of 100 (10 rows of 10), by Waddingtons Security Print of England, using lithography.

Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, the stamps will remain on sale at Post Offices until April 22, 1986, and will be available from the Philatelic Bureau, Private Bag, Wanganui (mail orders) and Philatelic Sales Centres until April 30, 1987.

Platelimprint positional or value blocks may be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps of each denomination.

High-value Definitives Native Birds Two rare, forest-dwelling native birds feature on the new, high-value definitive stamps to be issued on April 23, 1986, continuing the series which started last year with the black robin and kokako.

The male stitch bird is shown on the $3 stamp, and the saddleback on the $4, replacing a stamp showing the New Zealand coat of arms. There is no $3 stamp currently in use. Janet E. Marshall of Stratford designed all four stamps in the series.

The arrival of European settlers in New Zealand brought drastic changes to the habitat of forest birds.

The bush and the birds that lived in it retreated as settlement spread and land was cleared for more and more farms.

To a country with a unique bird population, the introduction of foreign predators was devastating. Rats and stoats threatened the survival of some species. The Wildlife Service works to re-establish those in danger, but for some it is too late.

A native bird common before European settlement is the stitch bird, whose name resembles the "tzit" sound it makes. The Maoris call it "hihi". Nectar-eating birds like their relatives the tui and bellbird, stitch birds have always been confined to the North Island and offshore islands. They have been rare in the North Island since 1885, though a colony continued to survive on Little Barrier Island, north of Auckland. Recently introduced to Hen Island, north of Auckland, Cuvier Island near the Coromandel Peninsula, and Kapiti Island, near Wellington, stitchbirds are now breeding on Hen Island.

They nest in tree holes, and appear to be monogamous. They breed in November and December, and up to five eggs are laid.

Nectar from blossoms of native plants such as rata, puriri, flax, kohekohe, fuchsia, pohutukawa and rewarewa is part of their diet. The stamp shows a male stitchbird on a fuchsia branch.

In late summer and autumn, when nectar-bearing flowers are scarce,

population, surviving only on Hen Island and on a few islands near Stewart Island. In the last 20 years the 25cm-long birds, also called by the Maori names purourou or tieke, have been transferred to Cuvier and Red Mercury Islands, offshore from Coromandel, Middle Chicken and Lady Alice Islands, in the Hen and Chickens group, Kapiti Island, islands off Stewart Island and in the Marlborough Sounds. These island preserves allow endangered bird populations to stabilise in the absence of predators.

Saddlebacks live in forest, thick scrub and regenerating forest. On the $4 stamp it is shown on a branch of kawakawa. They usually mate for life and establish a territory where they live permanently.

Both sexes are glossy black, though the females are smaller and have smaller wattles. Bright chestnut feathers mark the back and shoulders in a saddle shape, which in North Island birds is edged at the front with a narrow gold band. Their

feet and bills are black, and their wattles are orange. The South Island species have slightly smaller wattles.

Saddlebacks forage for fruit and insects, turning over litter on the forest floor, searching leaves for caterpillars and prying bark from tree trunks. A flap of skin partly covering their nostrils is thought to prevent powdered dead wood from falling into them.

The 29.4mm x 35mm stamps will be printed by lithography by LeighMardon Pty Lld of Melbourne.

Orders for First Day Covers may be made at any Post Office or through the Philatelic Bureau, Private Bag, Wanganui, for $7.11.

Plate/imprint positional blocks may be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps.

First Day Cover

New Presentation Pack series shortly New Zealand Native Birds Presentation Pack.

The presentation pack of New Zealand Native Birds stamps, to be issued in mid¡1986, will be the twelfth and last in the first series of presentation packs produced by the New Zealand Post Office.

The first presentation pack issued in late 1982 featured New Zealand's four seasons. The other presentation packs in the first series were Commonwealth Day 1983, Rita Angus, Beautiful New Zealand, Antarctica, Vintage Transport (ferries), Ski Fields, Military History, Vintage Transport (trams), Native Birds, ($1,$2) and New Zealand Scenery.

A second series of presentation packs will begin with the Scenic Bays issue, later this year. The first series has been popular as a collector's item, and for sending as gifts overseas. "We're quite delighted with the response to it," said Postal Marketing Manager Phil Slater.

Tokelau Architecture Stamp Issue

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The hospitals and schools of Tokelau C=:JF.:=::!:=::=:;~:;: are featured on their first stamp issue of 1986 to be released on May 7.

Waikanae artist Maurice Conly has designed eight previous stamp issues for Tokelau and is very familiar with the three tiny atolls which form New Zealand's last dependency.

Nukunonu, Fakaofo and Atafu each have a school and a hospital, all of which are depicted in these six stamps: Atafu Hospital, Atafu (5c); St Joseph's Hospital, Nukunonu, (18c); Fenuafala Hospital, Fakaofo (32c); Matauala School, Atafu (48c); Matiti School, Nukunonu (60c); and Fenuafala School, Fakaofo (75c).

The dual aim of education is to prepare children for life in Tokelau or a career in New Zealand. Formal schooling is free for all five to fifteen year olds and attendance is almost 100 percent. Each school has a parents' committee which raises funds and organises activities.

Parents also plan pre-school education. About 20 students a year receive scholarships for overseas studies which has resulted in most school and hospital staff now being Tokelauan.

Good health services are vital in this isolated community which can be hit hard by such ailments as influenza which swept the population in 1979.

Skin diseases caused by the limited supply of fresh water are fairly common as are eye problems related to sand, sea-water, and glare. As traditional flax thatched housing is ~ replaced by wood and concrete block with iron roofing, water collection is ~ becoming easier. The village women's committees also help nursing staff with infant care and child welfare.

Because about 1.500 people live on only 12.2 square kilometres of land in Tokelau, they have developed a communal lifestyle and still maintain strong community involvement in services now provided by the Public Service.

Even wage-paying jobs are rotated around the families to spread income more evenly.

The stamp issue was printed by

Cambec Press Australia in sheets of 50 with five rows of 10 stamps. They were produced by a five-colour lithography process. The stamps are horizontal format and each one measures 30mm x 42mm.

First Day Covers cost $2.61 and orders will be taken at the Philatelic Bureau. The cover, designed by Maurice Conly, will be forwarded to Tokelau for date-stamping and returned to the Philatelic Bureau, then mailed to customers, unaddressed and enclosed in an outer envelope.

These stamps are available in New Zealand only from the Philatelic Bureau, Wanganui (mail orders) and at Philatelic Sales Centres. They will remain on sale until November 4, 1986. Tokelau stamps are not valid for posting articles in New Zealand.

and measure 30mm x 42mm.

The third stamp (45c plus 3c) is of horizontal format and measures 42mmx30mm.

Also available is a miniature sheet (value $2.28) measuring 152mm x 85mm containing two stamps of each denomination.

The stamps were printed by Leigh Mardon Pty Ltd, Melbourne, using lithography and are produced in sheets of 100 stamps (10 rows of 10). Plate/imprint positional or value blocks may be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps of all denominations.

First Day Covers, designed by Hamish Thompson of Wellington, will cost $1.28. Orders may be made on a special form available at Post Offices from June 12,1986, until August 11,1986, inclusive.

Orders for First Day Covers close at the Philatelic Bureau, Private Bag, Wanganui, on JUly 30, 1986.

A First Day Cover bearing the miniature sheet will not be produced.

The stamps will be on sale at all Post Offices from July 30 to September 16, 1986. They will be available at Philatelic Sales Centres at Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, Hamilton, Rotorua and Gisborne, and by mail order from the Philatelic Bureau, Private Bag, Wanganui, until June 30, 1987 unless stocks are exhausted earlier.

Scenic New Zealand's international reputation as one of the world's most beautiful countries attracts many thousands of visitors to these shores every year.

Among the country's greatest assets is the variety and unspoilt beauty of its coast. Numerous bays and sheltered inlets provide a playground for local people and every year draw visitors in large numbers.

Four of these beautiful bays are the subject of the 1986 Scenic stamp issue to be released on June 11.

Knight's Point (55c) and Beck's Bay (60c) are in the South Island, while Doubtless Bay (65c) and Wainui Bay (80c) are in the North.

A wider view of Wainui Bay will also be available on a miniature sheet, costing $1.20, which will be released in conjunction with the stamp issue.

The 40 cent surcharge on the sheet is to support New Zealand's first World Stamp Exhibition to be held in Auckland in 1990.

Peter Durrant of Christchurch completed the graphic artwork for the stamps, using photgraphs supplied by the National Publicity Studios.

Heraclio Fournier SA of Spain printed the issue using the photogravure process.

Knight's Point is on the west coast of the South Island. The coast's isolation and its spectacular scenery make it a unique part of the country. Around Knight's Point, the coast forms a series of magnificent seascapes with dense native bush sloping steeply almost to the sea and unusual pinnacle-shaped rocks out in the water.

Beck's Bay, also known as Whenuanui, is one of a series of drowned river valleys at the top of the South Island that make up the Marlborough Sounds. The Sounds are known for superb fishing and for the many picturesque holiday cottages in isolated bays where launches are often the only transport.

Northland, the location of Wainui and Doubtless Bays is often referred to as the "winterless north". It has a warm sub-tropical climate which allows a wide range of outdoor activities all

year round. The relaxed and casual lifestyle also makes it an ideal area for a holiday.

All stamps in the Scenic issue are of horizontal format and measure 30mm x 36.2mm. A miniature sheet containing the fuller scene of Wainui Bay measures 130mm x 98mm (123mm x 99mm). Plate/imprint positional blocks may be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps of each denomination.

First Day Covers, also designed by Peter Durrant, cost $2.77. Orders for these can be made on a special form available from all Post Offices from April 24 to June 11. They are also available by mail order from the Philatelic Bureau, Private Bag, Wanganui until June 11. A First Day Cover bearing the miniature sheet will not be produced.

Booklets

Stamps Available Stamps are available by mail order from the Philatelic Bureau, Wanganui, or over the counter from Philatelic Sales Centres at Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, Hamilton, Rotorua and Gisborne.

ARMS (set $28.00) $4.00, $6.00, $8.00, $10.00 DEFINITIVES (set $19.14) 1c, 2c, 3c, 4c, 5c, 9c, 10c, 15c, 2Oc, 25c, 25c, 3Oc, 35c, 35c, 4Oc, 45c, 5Oc, 6Oc, $1.00, $2.00, $3.00, $4.00, $5.00.

GOVERNMENT LIFE INSURANCE (set $1.55) 5c, 10c, 20c, 3Oc, 4Oc, SOc. ROSS DEPENDENCY (set $1.55) 5c, 1Oc, 2Oc, 3Oc, 4Oc, 5Oc. TOKELAU DEFINITIVES (set $4.99) 1s, 2s, 5s, 9s, 235, 34s, 50s, 75s, $1.00, $2.00

WITHDRAWALS 30 April 1986 - Royal Definitive 6 May 1986 - 1985 Tokelau Architecture 10 June 1986 -

1985 Scenic (Bridges)

30 June 1986 -

1985 Health

30 June 1986 -

1985 Christmas

Stamp Collection