In 1955 stocks of the
1953 Queen
Elizabeth II definitives were running low and as there had been many
complaints, especially from elderly people, about how difficult it was to
read the small values and about the difficulty distinguishing the 3d and 8d
values, the designs were altered.

The differences between the two issues are very easy to
spot: larger values were added on the left of the stamp; 'New
Zealand' was shifted right of centre and the Southern Cross was omitted
from the right hand side of the design.
Although it was announced
that the 8d would be replaced at an early date, the stamp was not replaced
until December 1959. By that time, the 1½d brown had been removed
from sale so the same colour was used. The stamp was only on sale for eight
months before the 1960 Pictorials were issued - hence its rarity.