The Emerging Years - 1920's

Single 45c 'Flaming Youth' gummed stamp.

Overseas styles in music, dance, dress and behaviour, particularly from the United States and Britain, were embraced by New Zealand youth in the 1920s. The Charleston became the social dance of the era, and the 'flapper' - meaning a woman who was considered bold and unconventional - became a symbol of the decade.

Single 50c 'Birth of Broadcasting' gummed stamp.

Radio in New Zealand was born on the night of 17 November 1921 when Dr Robert Jack, Professor of Physics at Otago University, switched on a small transmitter in his Dunedin laboratory and began broadcasting music from gramophone records. The country promptly became wildly enthusiastic about the new-fangled 'wireless' that could pick up voices and music from the air, and by the end of 1927 more than 30,000 homes had radio licences. The Radio Broadcasting Company of New Zealand was established in 1925 with stations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Single 80c 'The Invincibles' gummed stamp.

The 1924 All Blacks earned the title 'The Invincibles' with an unbeaten 28-match tour of the British Isles, France and Canada. The team was studded with stars, including fullback George Nepia, who played in every game. Among the other legendary players on the tour were the brothers Maurice and Cyril Brownlie in the forwards and brilliant backs Mark Nicholls and Bert Cooke. 

Single $1.00 'The Swaggie' gummed stamp.

The 1920s were the swan song years for the New Zealand swaggies, who had opted out of society and its work ethic to drift around New Zealand exchanging labour for food and a bed, or simply begging for handouts. The dusty, often unkempt figure, trudging along a country road, swag over his shoulder, a figure familiar to generations of New Zealanders, disappeared into history.

Single $1.50 'The Motorcar Brings Freedom' gummed stamp.

The age of mass motoring was underway. The revolutionary Ford Model T was introduced in 1908, and New Zealanders bought more than 90,000 of them before they were superseded by the Model A in 1929. Local assembly of cars and trucks began in 1926, and total production reached 12,000 by 1929. 

Single $1.80 'The Arrival of the Air Age' gummed stamp.

The last years of the decade were a boom for the aviation industry. With the arrival of better and less expensive aircraft from overseas, new airline companies sprang up and aerial pageants became popular entertainment.