2013 ANZAC

New Zealanders Serving Abroad.
         For a number of years, New Zealand has been issuing stamps to mark the annual ANZAC Day events so we as a country, can remember those brave men and women who have lost their lives serving in the NZ Military overseas. There are many services that take place that day including one in the small community in which I live. These services often are at dawn, known as a dawn service or dawn parade, or later in the morning at 10am. In the centre of Auckland, they hold a large dawn service at the Auckland Memorial Museum which attracts thousands of people. What is surprising is that over the years as the old soldier has passed on, their ranks declining, the numbers of younger people attending these services has steadily grown.   
         It is well known that New Zealand played a role in World War I and World War II but what is lesser know is the long list of other places where New Zealand men and women have served. New Zealand is proud of its commitment to peacekeeping and assisting other nations in trouble and our military plays an important role in this.
         2013 marks the 60 anniversary of the Korean War. To mark this event the 2013 ANZAC issue features six of the many places New Zealand Defence Forces have been deployed to.



The Stamps and Designs.

70c - Timor-Leste (1999-2012).
           New Zealand Defence Forces were involved in East Timor supporting the Australian military and assisting this new country to establish itself while providing protection security to the local population. This 70c stamp shows a Royal New Zealand Air Force Iroquois (International Stabilisation Force) carrying Australian troops in Dili, Timor-Leste, 2008.

70c - Afghanistan (2003-2013).
          Since 2003 the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) has operated in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan tasked with maintaining security. For the most part, this deployment went well until when in 2012 New Zealand lost 5 soldiers in a couple of weeks making a total of 10 kiwis lost in the Afghanistan war. The last military personal returned home in 2013 after the National Government called an end to the deployment. The photo on this stamp shows Kiwi Team One on patrol in north-east Bamyan, 2011.

$1.40 - Solomon Islands (2003-present).
            New Zealand has been contributing to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands since its inception in July 2003. This has been more of a civilian protection operation with New Zealand Police personal also being deployed there as well. The $1.40 stamp shows members of TG Rata 8 performing a haka to welcome TG Rata 9 in Honiara, Solomon Islands, 2009.

$1.90 - Bosnia (1992-2007).
          New Zealand's 15-year-long commitment to Bosnia began in 1992 when the Government agreed to contribute military observers to the UN peacekeeping effort. The $1.90 stamp shows an M113A1 of Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles on checkpoint duty in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2007. 

$2.40 - Support to Antarctica (50 years).
         New Zealand has been involved in scientific research through Scott Base in the Ross Dependency. The New Zealand Defence forces have provided support to these operations. The $2.40 stamp shows New Zealand ANZAC class frigate Te Kaha patrolling Antarctic waters, 1999. As well as the navy, air force planes regularly land in Antarctica on missions of support and supply delivery as well.  

$2.90 - Korea (1953-1957).
         After the Korean War, the UN Command Military Armistice Commission was created to supervise the Armistice. New Zealand was a part of this from the end of the war in 1953 until 1971 when the last New Zealand military personal left the country. The $2.90 stamp shows the post-armistice Korean headquarters of the 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, on what became known as 'Kiwi Hill', 1953.


First Day Cover - 10 April 2013



Prestige Miniature Sheet Booklet.

The seven Miniature Sheets featured in this post came from a special collector booklet issued at the same time as the stamps. These showed the original stamp plus an enlargement of the photograph shown on each stamp. 

The full set of six stamps.

70c - Timor-Leste (1999-2012).

70c - Afghanistan (2003-2013).

$1.40 - Solomon Islands (2003-present).

$1.90 - Bosnia (1992-2007).

$2.40 - Support to Antarctica (50 years).

$2.90 - Korea (1953-1957).

        
Technical Information.
Date of issue: 10 April 2013.
The number of stamps: Six gummed stamps.
Denominations: 70c (x2), $1.40, $1.90, $2.40, $2.90.
Stamps, miniature sheet booklet and first-day cover designed: Strategy Design and Advertising, Wellington, New Zealand.
Printer and process: Southern Colour Print Ltd by offset lithography.
The number of colours: Four process colours plus gold.
Stamp size and format: 40mm x 30mm (horizontal).
Paper type: 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper.
The number of stamps per sheet: 25.
Perforation gauge: 14.
Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 9 April 2014.


Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and Online Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information & images for this post came from.