New Zealand welcomes the Year of the Snake with four stamps in a Jan. 15 issue

By David Hartwig

New Zealand’s post office, NZ Post, welcomes the Year of the Snake in the Chinese lunar calendar with a set of four stamps to be issued Jan. 15.

Each stamp in the set of four illustrates a different subject using images of a snake along with a young child.

“The snake is an often under-appreciated creature seen by many as sneaky, calculating, and treacherous,” NZ Post said. “However, snakes also have an undeniable beauty. Their elegant structure makes them a popular design in Chinese jewellery, each snake painstakingly carved into jade pendants and charms.”

The subject of each stamp is named with text running along the right side of the stamp: Hakeke Harvest (denominated $2.30), Lucky Dumplings ($3.60), Roots of Ginseng ($4.90) and Singing in the New Year ($7.20).

On the $2.30 stamp, a snake and child appear with a type of wood ear mushroom called hakeke. NZ Post said that the discovery of hakeke in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in 1875 led to a lucrative business of exporting the fungus to China.

According to information from New Zealand’s Science Learning Hub – Pokapu Akoranga Putaiao website, by 1883 New Zealand exports of hakeke, which loses 90 percent of its fresh weight when dried, totaled almost 2,000 tons by dry weight.

The $3.60 stamp features a snake with a child hoisting a large dumpling. “Dumplings are traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year to encourage prosperity and good luck,” NZ Post said, “with their money-bag shape believed to symbolize wealth.”

The $4.90 stamp shows a child with a snake, which is wrapped around a ginseng root. A popular gift for the elderly during the Lunar New Year, ginseng is a prized root in Chinese medicine. On the $7.20 stamp, a child  playing a guitar serenades a snake.

The stamps were designed by YMC Design and printed by Brebner Print, Napier by lithography.

The stamps measure 30 millimeters by 50mm and are perforated gauge 13.33. The stamps are also available in panes of 20 for each of the four designs.

All four stamps also appear on a single souvenir sheet, which measures 135mm by 90mm.

The stamp denominated $2.30 pays the rate for medium letters sent within New Zealand. The $3.60 stamp can be used to send large letters within New Zealand and medium letters to Australia and the South Pacific.

The $4.90 stamp pays for oversize letters sent within New Zealand and large letters sent internationally. The $7.20 stamp takes care of oversize letters sent internationally.

NZ Post defines medium letters as not exceeding 235mm in length and 130mm in width. Large letters can be up to 235mm by 165mm, and oversize letters can measure 385mm by 260mm. Weight limits and thickness vary depending on the destination.

In addition to the stamps NZ Post offers, there is a presentation pack with commentary by poet, composer and musician Cadence Chung, who studies at the New Zealand School of Music. The presentation pack includes all four stamps, the souvenir sheet and a first-day cover.

The first-day cover in the presentation pack is franked with all four stamps. NZ Post also has a first-day cover for the souvenir sheet. The postmark for all of the FDCs features a snake and Chinese characters.

The stamps and other related materials can be ordered from NZ Post’s website. In addition to the website, ordering information also is available from NZ Post Collectables, Private Bag 3001, Whanganui Mail Centre, Wanganui, New Zealand.

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