1906 Christchurch Exhibition
|
|
Cat. |
Mint Unhinged |
Mint Hinged |
Fine Used |
½d |
Arrival of the Arawa Canoe |
19a |
$90.00 |
|
$49.50 |
|
$54.00 |
|
1d |
Maori Canoe Carving |
19b |
$90.00 |
|
$45.00 |
|
$45.00 |
|
3d |
Captain Cook's Landing |
19c |
$360.00 |
|
$162.00 |
|
$180.00 |
|
6d |
Flag / Annexation of New Zealand |
19d |
$990.00 |
|
$450.00 |
|
$540.00 |
|
|
|
|
Set of 4 |
19e |
$1,453.50 |
|
$671.20 |
|
$778.05 |
|
|
|
|
First Day Cover - 1 November 1906 |
19f |
|
|
|
|
$2,700.00 |
|
|
… Four Stamps : ½d (19a), 1d (19b), 3d (19c), 6d (19d) |
|
First Day Cover - 16 November 1906 |
19g |
|
|
|
|
$4,050.00 |
|
|
… 6d (19d) |
This issue commemorated the New Zealand International
Exhibition of Arts and Industries which was held in North Hagley Park,
Christchurch, between November 1906 and April 1907. It was the first set
with large stamps to be designed, engraved and printed entirely within New
Zealand.
This was also the first commemorative stamp set issued in
New Zealand. The stamps were only on sale for the duration of the
exhibition and could only be bought from the post office at the exhibition.
One third of the revenue from stamp sale went to the
organisers.
The Exhibition was government subsidised
and no expense was spared. Large wooden buildings were constructed solely
for the exhibition and were dismantled afterwards. The show was a huge
success with close to two million people attending - roughly twice the
population of New Zealand at that time.
The halfpenny green stamp
depicts the arrival in Aotearoa of the Arawa canoe. Te Arawa is a
confederation of Maori iwi and hapu (tribes and sub-tribes). The history of
the Te Arawa people is inextricably linked to the Arawa canoe. In Maori
tradition, Arawa was one of the great ocean-going, voyaging canoes that was
used in the migrations that settled New Zealand. It was formed from a great
tree in Rarotonga.
The one penny red stamp shows the prow of a Maori
canoe being carved inside a Marae by a group of Maori craftsmen.
The
dual colour three penny stamp stamp depicts the landing of Captain Cook on
his first voyage to New Zealand at Poverty Bay on the east coast of the
North Island on the 7th of October 1769. This first meeting led to the
deaths of six local Maori during skirmishes with the crew, due to a
misinterpretation of the traditional Maori challenge. Cook was unable to
gain many of the provisions he and his crew needed at the bay, and for this
reason gave it its name.
The dual colour six penny stamp depicts the
annexation of New Zealand on the 30th of January 1840. Governor Hobson read
his Proclamations which were the beginnings of the Treaty of Waitangi in
the presence of a number of settlers and the Maori chief, Moka
'Kainga-mataa'. A document confirming what had happened was signed
at this time by around forty witnesses; including Moka, the only Maori
signatory.
There is considerable controversy over the one penny
claret stamp. The exhibition organisers were not happy with the claret
colour and ordered that the stamps be reprinted in a brighter red at their
expense. The original stamps were destroyed except for one sheet which went
to the Postmaster-General, one to exhibition organisers and 14 which were
retained by the Post and Telegraph department. According to legend, one
sheet got mixed up with the new stamps and was sold over the counter at the
Post Office. Of course, the stamp is only of value to collectors if it was
actually available for sale across the counter for postage. The Post Office
accounts however do not record any sales of the claret stamp and while
there are several mint copies of the stamp in circulation, the only used
copies appear to have been cancelled five days after the exhibition post
office had closed. Indeed, three of the stamps are on a cover addressed to
the secretary of the exhibition committee.
Bibliography
The Postage Stamps of New Zealand (Volume I)
Edited by R. J. G. Collins and H. T. M. Fathers B.A. B.Sc.
Published 1938 by The Philatelic Society of New Zealand Incorporated
Pages 375 - 379, 583 - 585
The Postage Stamps of New Zealand Volume II
Edited by R. J. G. Collins FRPSNZ and C. W. Watts FRPSNZ
Published 1950 by The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand Incorporated
The Postage Stamps of New Zealand Volume IV
Edited by R. J. G. Collins FRPSNZ and C.W. Watts FRPSNZ
Published 1960 by The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand Incorporated
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