Maori Definitive Stamps

       As Mary and Allan have worked their way through the major issues of pictorial definitive stamps, they have come across many with Maori themes. This page is another of my thematic collections, gathering all these Maori stamps together in one place so they can be linked into our other collections of Maori stamps.
       I do not claim to have any knowledge of things Maori, my task is just to gather these stamps together so they can be viewed and enjoyed. Any information concerning these stamps has been provided by Allan or copied from his other pages in this blog.
1898 Pictorials.

8d - Maori War Canoe.
The 8d stamp contains a graphic eight with a Maori war canoe on the lower circle of the eight and a crown in the upper circle. Tree Ferns are drawn to the left of the eight and Cabbage Trees on the right.

1935 Pictorials.

The 1935 Pictorials featured five stamps with Maori themes.
Four of these were overprinted with the word "Official" and used for Government postage.

                          
1½d - Maori Cooking.                                          1½d - Cooking Official.
The 1½d stamp features a Maori woman cooking food by lowering it in a flax basket or kete into a boiling geothermal spring.

             
         2d - Maori Meeting House.                                2d - Meeting House Official.               
The 2d stamp features a traditional Maori Meeting House.

                            
3d Maori Girl. (Wahine)                                                3d Maori Girl. (Official)
The 3d stamp features a Maori girl (Wahine) wearing an intricately woven flax head-band (pare). A Huia feather is in her hair - a mark of great prestige. She is also wearing a hei-tiki hung on a flax string around her neck.

                             
9d - Maori door decoration. (Original Printing)

The subject of this stamp is a modification of a design adopted by the Maori for the ornamentation of sliding panels used as doors, 'tatau', employing the preferred colours of red, black and white. 

                              
9d - Maori decoration  (Later Printing)                           9d - Maori decoration.  (Official)         

 
2/- Landing of Captain Cook.                                                          2/- Landing of Cook. (Official).

Captain James Cook landed at Poverty Bay on 8 October 1769, during his first voyage in the Pacific. The first encounter with local Maori led to the deaths of six Maori during skirmishes with the crew due to a misinterpretation of the traditional Maori challenge.


1940 - Centennial / Pictorials.
1940 Centennial Pictorials.
While not considered to definitive stamps the 1940 Centennial certainly fulled that role during the early 1940s. Also being one of the larger issues since the 1935 Pictorials and featuring some great Maori stamps we've decided to include them in this collection. 

The 1940 Centennials were issued as part of celebrating 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Four of them plus 3 'Officials' feature Maori themes.

  
            ½d - Arrival of Maori.                             ½d - Arrival of Maori. (Official)
The scene depicted on the stamp is an original conception by an artist of the arrival of one of the canoes  The Maoris have been pictured here as arriving in a state of physical exhaustion, the inevitable consequence, despite their magnificent seafaring skills, of weeks spent in open canoes.


                  
            2½d - The Treaty of Waitangi.           2½d - The Treaty of Waitangi. (Official)
The Treaty of Waitangi was an agreement between the British representing Queen Victoria and the Maoris of New Zealand. It is a basis of harmony between the people of New Zealand today. It may surprise many people to learn that the Treaty is no longer a legally binding document in New Zealand but it is still considered by the Government when settling the land claims made by many different Maori tribes.

7d - Maori Council.
The Maori meeting house is an important part of Maori culture and most important meetings take place either in or in front of the house as shown on these two stamps. The meeting house with the most important building in the village and so featured carvings inside and out telling the history and stories of the tribe.

           
             8d - Maori Council.                                         8d - Maori Council. (Official)
With the out break of war postal rates changed and 7d stamps were found to be no longer required. Since 8d was used on parcels it was decided to re-issue the meeting house stamp with this new value.   


1960 Pictorial Definitives.

                     
1/6 - Tiki.                                                  2/- Taniwha. 

The greenstone hei-tiki was one of the commonest forms of neck pendant worn by Maori of high rank when Europeans first came to New Zealand.  Greenstone is an extremely hard material. Back in 1960 it was commonly called a 'tiki' but now the more correct name of 'hei-tiki' is used.
(Between 1960 and 1968 this hei-tiki design appeared in three different versions)

This South Island rock drawing of a taniwha was the first archaeological subject chosen from Maori pre-history to be depicted on a New Zealand stamp. The taniwha is a mythical monster of Maori tradition, which was described as a gigantic man-eating reptile lurking in deep pools.


1967  Decimal Definitives.

                       
15c - Tiki.                                                  20c - Taniwha. 

Most of the 1960 Pictorials were reissued with decimal values in 1967 when New Zealand changed to decimal currency. In the case of the 15c Tiki, the background colour was changed at the same time.

1968 Definitive Colour change.


15c - Tiki.
Amended colour, issued 19 March 1968.
Maori greenstone tiki - worn as a neck pendant.  The stamp design was the same as the original 15c 'Tiki' stamp but with a green background colour.  The Post Office considered that the original coloured version did not do justice to the stamp design.


1970 Definitives.
15c - Maori Fish Hook.

            
18c - Maori War Club.      20c - Maori Moku - Tattoo.

15c - Fish Hook.
         The Maori used one-piece hooks of bone and two-piece hooks of wood with barbs of bone or dog's teeth.  Hooks were used on lines, line and pole or for trolling.
18c - Maori War Club.
         The Maori club featured on the stamp is of the ceremonial type dating from 1860.  Such clubs were carved from greenstone, bone, or stone and used as a weapon in hand to hand fighting.
20c - Maori Moku - Tattoo.
          Every Maori man and woman of rank was tattooed.  Pigments were made from soot and the whole process was an extremely painful one carried out over a long period of time.


1976 Definitives.
Maori Artifacts  Collected by Captain Cook.
These four Maori Artifact stamps were issued on the 24th of November 1976 as part of the 1975 Definitives. They feature the four priceless artifacts collected by Captain Cook on his voyages of discovery to New Zealand.
1975 Pictorial / Definitives - Part One.

                               
11c - 'Maripi' / Carved Wooden Knife.
12c - 'Putorino' / Carved Double Tube Flute.


                                

13c - 'Wahaika' / Hardwood Club.

14c - 'Kotiate' / Ceremonial Weapon.



11c - Maripi.
           An intricately carved wooden knife edged with shark teeth.  Reputed to have been used for cutting flesh - possibly human flesh - it may also have been used as a weapon.

12c - Putorino.
           A carved flute with an unusual double tube played as a solo instrument or to accompany a song.

13c - Wahaika.
           A sickle-shaped hardwood club used for jabbing in close combat.

14c - Kotiate.
           A ceremonial form of another hand-to-hand weapon.




1980 Definitives - Maori Leaders.


                                  

15c - Te Heu Heu Tukino IV.                           25c - Te Hau-Takiri Wharepapa.


35c - Princess Te Puea Herangi.

                           
45c - Sir Apirana Ngata.                                60c - Hakopa Te Ata-o-tu.

15c - Te Heu Heu Tukino IV.
         A paramount chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribe, he gave the three central North Island mountain peaks of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu to the nation in 1887, the year before he died.

25c - Te Hau-Takiri Wharepapa.
         One of the chiefs who sailed to England in 1862 to meet Queen Victoria and returned with an English wife.

35c - Princess Te Puea Herangi.
         Tribal leader whose heroic efforts established the Turangawaewae Marae at Ngaruawahia. Princess Te Puea died at Turangawaewae in 1952.

45c - Sir Apirana Ngata.
         Maori leader, politician, statesman and scholar, he represented the Eastern Maori electorate in the House of Representatives from 1905 to 1943.

60c - Hakopa Te Ata-o-tu.
         A warrior of high rank, who was captured and became a slave, being liberated later when the tribes embraced Christianity. 


1992 & 1996  Frama Stamps.



Two of the New Zealand Frama Stamp issues featured Maori themed backgrounds.

   
1992 - Maori Weaving Frama.                              1996 - Maori Rafter Frama.


Scenic Definitives.
        By 1995 New Zealand Post had been moving away from the big definitive issues towards smaller groups issued each year. Often these featured scenes of New Zealand's beautiful landscape and became part of the Pictorial Definitive Series. Over the years these were developed and evolved, always with an eye towards the promotion of New Zealand Tourism.
        In 2003 a change was made which brought these stamp within the theme of this page Maori Definitives. A border was added across the top showing a Maori design. Often these definitive stamps were also featured in special miniature sheets issued for major stamp exhibitions.  I am not going to show you all of these stamps and miniature sheets as they would take up an entire page of their own and have already been featured else where in this blog.

2011 Indipex Stamp Exhibition
2009 - 2010  Scenic Definitives.

Indipex 2011, the World Philatelic Exhibition, brought the international stamp collecting community together to celebrate philately on a global scale. Showcasing some of the rarest stamp collections in the world, Indipex 2011 provided a unique meeting platform for collectors, dealers, designers, printers and postal administrations. The exhibition took place in New Delhi, India between 12 and 18 February 2011.
In honour of this substantial philatelic event, New Zealand Post is issuing a special miniature sheet and miniature sheet first day cover. The miniature sheet incorporates three New Zealand Scenic Definitive stamps issued in 2010 – showcasing Mitre Peak in Milford Sound, Queenstown and Lake Rotorua. The stamps are set against a backdrop depicting the TSS Earnslaw plying the waters of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand’s South Island.
 I particularly like this miniature sheet. I think the blue of the lakes makes all the difference. The Maori design at the top of both the stamps and the miniature sheet reminds me of Kowhaiwhai - Maori Rafter Paintings.


2010 Personalised Stamps.
Make your mail special by creating Personalised Stamps that can be themed for weddings, birthdays and anything in between. These stamps show a selected design, such as in this case the hei-tiki, and a photograph supplied by the purchaser.

     $1.80 - Hei-tiki.   
Issued - 10 February 2010.

                
60c- Hei-tiki.                                                            $1.90 - Hei-tiki. 
Postage Rate Increase - 9 September 2010.
       

2010 Personalised Stamps.

70c - Hei-tiki. 



Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of Stamps NZ
You can visit their web site and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Some Information or images for this post came from.