Commonwealth Day

The Queen featured on the 24c stamp and a noteworthy feature of the portrait is that she was wearing the Sovereign's Badge of The Queen's Service Order. This order is exclusive to New Zealand but is also an integral part of the whole Royal Honours system ranking next to and immediately before Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). The Queen's service order (QSO) was instituted by Her Majesty by Royal Warrant in 1975 and contains two sub divisions, the first for community service and the second for public services. Not more than 30 appointments may be made in any one year. The ribbon on the badge was based on the poutama, a Māori tukutuku design representing steps, while the badge consisted of five large and five small stylised mānuka flower petals. These were superimposed upon a medallion bearing the Crowned Effigy of The Queen, all within a circle of red enamel bearing an appropriate inscription and surmounted by St Edward's Crown.

An early example of Māori art featured on the 35c stamp. The original drawing, made in charcoal was found at the Dog's Head Rock Cave on the Te Ngawai river in South Canterbury. Archaeologists believe that rock drawings of this type were made over 500 years ago to adorn the walls and ceilings of caves that once formed comfortable dwellings. The drawings were first recorded by Europeans in the late nineteenth century when some similarities to art from Flinders Island, off Australia, were noted. There has been some discussion over the years about whether the drawings have meaning - were they a form of writing, mnemonics or maps? Did the drawings illustrate legends or were they just doodling? The answer to such questions may never be known. However viewed simply as art, the drawings suggest a very skilled people with a rich graphic culture. The Māori rock art on the stamp is a reproduction of a drawing from the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch.

Wool, one of the most important items of New Zealand's primary production, is represented in the design of the 40 cent stamp which featured the Woolmark symbol together with a mini-bowl, a machine developed in New Zealand for the wool scouring industry. Mini-bowls are drastically shortened bowls for scouring greasy wool. They allow space required by a scour to be reduced by about 40% with consequent savings in energy, materials of construction, water and detergent needed in washing. The scientists and engineers from the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand who were responsible for developing mini-bowls, were the joint recipients of the B.P. Energy Award in 1979.

The New Zealand Coat of Arms featured on the 45c stamp. One quarter of the shield depicted four stars as representative of the Southern Cross while another quarter displayed a fleece representing the farming industry. The wheat sheaf in the third quarter represented the agricultural industry, whilst the crossed hammers in the fourth represented the mining industry. The three ships in the centre of the shield symbolised the importance of New Zealand's sea trade. The supporters on either side of the shield consisted of a Māori chieftain holding a taiaha and a European woman holding the New Zealand ensign. Surmounting the Arms is the St Edward's Crown which was used in the Coronation ceremony of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The crown symbolised the fact that Her Majesty is Queen of New Zealand.

A presentation pack was also issued on 30 September 1983 and featured the four stamps.

Product Listing for Commonwealth Day

Stamp Bulletin

This stamp issue first appeared in New Zealand Post Stamp Bulletin No. 29 in April 1983.

Acknowledgments: Bulletin scanned and provided by John Biddlecombe of the New Zealand Society of Great Britain. Their web site offers further information useful to those interested in the stamps and postal history of New Zealand. Link: http://www.nzsgb.org.uk/