Postage stamps and postal history of New Zealand facts for kids
New Zealand has had postal services for a long time! They started way back in 1831. At first, a merchant in the Bay of Islands helped send and receive mail. Later, Governor William Hobson made rules for how mail should work. The British government managed things until 1848.
In the early years, there were only a few post offices. But postal services grew a lot from the mid-1850s. New laws allowed local governments to open more post offices. In 1858, the Post Office Act organized everything under a Postmaster-General. The New Zealand Post Office was a government department until 1987. Then, it became New Zealand Post, which is a company owned by the government.
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New Zealand's First Stamps
New Zealand started issuing its own Postage stamps around July 1855. These first stamps featured Queen Victoria. They are known as "Chalon head" stamps. The picture of the Queen was based on a famous painting by Alfred Edward Chalon.
At first, people had to cut these stamps by hand from large sheets. But from 1862, machines started to perforate the sheets. This made it much easier to tear off individual stamps. The Chalon head stamps were used until 1874. After that, new "sideface" stamps, made using a printing method called lithography, took their place.
Universal One Penny Postage
On January 1, 1901, New Zealand did something amazing. It introduced "one penny universal postage." This meant you could send a letter from New Zealand to almost any country in the world for just one penny! Some countries, like Australia and the United States, were worried. They didn't want to lower their own postal charges to match.
This change also cut the cost of sending letters within New Zealand in half. People thought the Post Office might lose money. But more people started sending mail, and by 1902, the Post Office had recovered any losses.
World's First Stamp Machine
New Zealand was the first country to test and install stamp vending machines. One was put in the General Post Office in Wellington in 1905. This was a big step forward for postal services!
Special Mail Items
New Zealand also issued special mail items called postal stationery. These are things like postcards or envelopes with the stamp already printed on them.
- Postcards were first issued on November 1, 1876.
- Newspaper wrappers, used for sending newspapers, came out on April 1, 1878.
- Lettercards, which were like foldable letters, appeared on January 1, 1895.
- Registered envelopes, for important mail, were available from June 21, 1898.
- Regular envelopes with stamps printed on them were issued on June 4, 1899.
- Air letter sheets, also known as aerogrammes, for airmail, started on November 17, 1941.
Modern Mail Services
On April 1, 1998, the postal system in New Zealand was deregulated. This means that different private companies can now deliver mail. However, the government-owned New Zealand Post still delivers almost all letters.
Other Mail Companies
Some other independent mail companies in New Zealand also issue their own stamps. These include:
- DX Mail
- Fastway Post
- New Zealand Mail
- Petes Post
