Kids help capture the spirit of a Kiwi Christmas

Kids help capture the spirit of a Kiwi Christmas

Artworks by children from all over New Zealand will fly across the country and around the world this Christmas on New Zealand Post stamps.

The stamps are the result of the Design a Stamp competition held by New Zealand Post earlier this year. Schoolchildren were asked to produce art based on the theme ‘what Christmas means to me’.

Ten children ranging in age from five to 15 were the winners from over 17,000 entries.

Images include the koru, the kereru, pohutukawa and images of a typical New Zealand holiday scene: camping by the beach.

New Zealand Post Stamps General Manager Ivor Masters says the quality of the drawings was absolutely astonishing.

“What was really interesting was the similarity of interpretation. Camping, holidays at the bach and other Kiwi images like kiwifruit and koru all reiterated the point that a New Zealand Christmas is a unique cultural experience. I think collectors and people sending Christmas cards will find these stamps quite charming.”

Children were also asked to explain their drawings.

“This picture represents New Zealand by the fern [koru] and every swirl of the fern represents a member of my family and reminds me at Xmas how we spend our time together,” said 10-year old Hannah McLachlan, the supreme winner of the competition from Mt Roskill, Auckland.

This year customers have the added bonus of being able to purchase a set of six 45c stamps, a matching set of six Christmas cards and six envelopes all for only $7.50. These can be purchased online at www.nzpost.co.nz/stamps or from any New Zealand PostShop.

Also available is a dispenser box with 100 x 45c stamps featuring the work of Hannah McLachlan.

The winning stamps were designed by:

45c Hanna Mclachlan (10) - Supreme winner - Koru

Maria Petersen (15) - Mary and baby Jesus

Hannah Webster (14) – Kereru

Isla Hewitt (6) – Three wise men

Caitlin Davidson (8) – Family

Deborah Yoon (12) – Beach

90c Pierce Higgins (8) – Kiwifruit

$1.35 Rosa Tucker (5) – Christmas tree

$1.50 Sylvie Webby (11) – Pohutukawa flowers

$2.00 Gemma Baldock (10) – Camping

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The products will be available from PostShops, New Zealand Post Collectables in Auckland and Christchurch, selected retailers, the Wanganui Stamps Centre and the stamps website - www.nzpost.co.nz/stamps - from 4 October.

Winner's Regions:

Hanna McLachlan – Supreme Winner Three Kings School, Mt Roskill Auckland
Maria Petersen – St Dominic’s College Wanganui
Hannah Webster – Wellington Girl’s College, Wellington
Isla Hewitt – Elmwood Normal School Christchurch
Caitlin Davidson - Western Heights Primary School Auckland
Deborah Yoon – Wakatipu High School, Queenstown
Pierce Higginson St Joseph’s School, Hamilton
Rosa Tucker – St Mary’s School Ellerslie Auckland
Sylvie Webby – Raurimu Avenue School Whangarei
Gemma Baldock – Tahuna Normal Intermediate School Dunedin

ENDS

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