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Princess Elizabeth became Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. Her coronation was held on 2 June 1953, and six months later she and her husband, Prince Philip, made their first visit to New Zealand as part of a Commonwealth tour. Sailing into Auckland on the SS Gothic in late December 1953, the royal couple travelled the full length of New Zealand over six weeks, and people turned out in unprecedented numbers to greet them.
To commemorate the new Monarch and Head of the Commonwealth, it was agreed to issue new permanent stamps featuring Queen Elizabeth II.
Hand-illustrated by Leonard Cornwall Mitchell, the stamp designs showed the Queen wearing the George IV State Diadem, adorned with the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace, and framed with a spray of native kōwhai flowers and the Southern Cross constellation. This half-portrait design was registered in different colours across low-value stamp denominations, and issued in 1953-1954.
2026 marks 100 years since the Queen’s birth. In commemorating her historic reign, and the tremendous public excitement that met her on her first royal visit to New Zealand, these significant first permanent stamps of Queen Elizabeth II are reimagined.
Date of issue: 4 February 2026