Shop Collectables - Stamps - Stamp issues - 2026 Year of the Horse

Whether it was to chase the gold rush, to set up a market garden, or to share their love of Chinese cuisine, the ancestors of Aotearoa New Zealand's Chinese population brought with them their skills and their heritage in the hopes of building a better tomorrow.

The Lunar New Year is an exciting time for new prospects for many nations including China, and is celebrated widely across Aotearoa New Zealand. Each Zodiac animal brings its own characteristics, providing a fresh approach to prosperity. 2026 is the Year of the Horse.

The story of Chinese New Year starts with Jade Emperor, who created the Zodiac calendar, a 12-year cycle to help track the passage of time. The Horse was chosen to represent the seventh year in the Zodiac after it placed seventh in the Jade Emperor’s great race. It’s said that the horse was about to come in sixth but was sabotaged by the snake who spooked it by sliding under its hoof and finishing ahead of its opponent.

Chinese believe that the Zodiac and the animal years in which people are born have a tremendous influence on their lives and personalities. The Horse is associated with effortless success. People born in the Year of the Horse are said to be agile, popular, and persuasive, attracting many friends with their vivacious personalities. However, they can also be impulsive, impatient and hedonistic, leading them to spend too much money too quickly, or to abandon projects halfway through.

The new year doesn't occur on a regular date of the Gregorian calendar, each year falling somewhere between January and February in accordance with the lunisolar calendar. If someone you know was born in 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954 or 1942, it’s likely that they will have been born under the sign of the Horse.