1006 Booklet 08/98
New Zealand Alternate Postal Services
Posties Choice
|
On 1 April 1998, the Postal Services Act, which had been passed by parliament, became law. Part of this act withdrew New Zealand Post's monopoly on the delivery of mail and the issuing of postage stamps. Following this postal deregulation a number of companies were set up to compete with New Zealand Post for mail delivery. One of these companies was Posties Choice New Zealand Ltd. This company was registered as a postal operator with the Ministry of Economic Development on 17 July 1998 and was removed from the register on 20 December 2002. The first stamps were produced in late 1998 and continued until May 2001. The stamps during this period all contained the P.C. logo. Any mail carrying these stamps could only be posted in a Posties Choice mail box or through the DX New Zealand Document Exchange network. If they were put in a New Zealand Post mail box, they had to also have the equivalent value NZ Post stamps applied. The company signed an access agreement with New Zealand Post in September 2001 that allowed the company to produce postage stamps that were valid for postage in the New Zealand Post Network. These stamps bore the "Black Sheep" insignia.
The first stamps for Posties Choice depicted New Zealand Birds. There was one 40c stamp, five different 90c stamps, a $2.00 stamp and a $4.00 stamp. They were issued on October 28, 1998. Each stamp has a month/year of printing as well as a unique number printed below the design. The stamps were printed on self-adhesive sheetlets or available in booklet format. The first booklet was $4.00 and contained 10 of the 40c stamp. The second was $9.00 and contained 2 of each of the five 90c stamps. There are two versions of the $4.00 booklet. The stamps have a printing date of 08/98 on the first one and 10/98 on the second. The 08/98 stamp was only found in the booklet. |
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 1001 | Birds-1001-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - 90c Kakapo |
| 1002 | Birds-1002-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - 90c Kokako |
| 1003 | Birds-1003-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - 90c North Island Weka |
| 1004 | Birds-1004-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - 90c Takahe |
| 1005 | Birds-1005-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - 90c North Island Kaka |
| 1006 | Birds-1006-08/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - 40c Kiwi (from Booklet) |
| 1006 | Birds-1006-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - 40c Kiwi (from Sheetlet & Booklet) |
| 1007 | Birds-1007-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - $4 Extinct Birds |
| 1008 | Birds-1008-10/98 | 28/10/1998 | Birds - $2 Wood Pigeon |
1006 Booklet 08/98
1006 Booklet and Sheetlet 10/98
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1007
1008
First Day Covers for the 8 stamps
Sheetlet
| Two years after the first issue came a
set of 10 stamps for the SPCA, showing animals with messages. It was
available in blocks of 10. |
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 010 | PC 10/00 010 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals don't just visit on Sundays |
| 011 | PC 10/00 011 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals are always happy to see you |
| 012 | PC 10/00 012 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals love to go driving with you |
| 013 | PC 10/00 013 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals still like you even if you are poor |
| 014 | PC 10/00 014 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals don't want you to hurry up and die |
| 015 | PC 10/00 015 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals don't talk to you like you're stupid |
| 016 | PC 10/00 016 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals never think you're a burden |
| 017 | PC 10/00 017 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals don't mind if you kiss them |
| 018 | PC 10/00 018 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals I couldn't care less about money |
| 019 | PC 10/00 019 | 1/12/2000 | SPCA 40c Animals never contest the will |
010
011
012
013
014
015
016
017
018
019
Signed
First Day Cover
| December 1, 2000 saw the release of the five stamps depicting birds and reptiles from Auckland Zoo. |
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 020 | PC 12/00 020 | 1/12/2000 | Auckland Zoo 40c Kiwi |
| 021 | PC 12/00 021 | 1/12/2000 | Auckland Zoo 80c Kaka |
| 022 | PC 12/00 022 | 1/12/2000 | Auckland Zoo $1.00 Whio |
| 023 | PC 12/00 023 | 1/12/2000 | Auckland Zoo $1.50 Tuatara |
| 024 | PC 12/00 024 | 1/12/2000 | Auckland Zoo $1.80 Kereru |
020
021
022
023
024
| The 40c Kiwi was issued in se-tenant pairs, while the other four were also matched in se-tenant pairs, 80c with $1.00 and $1.50 with $1.80. |
Diagonally Imperforate Error Block
Paper crease caused the missing $1.50 on the bottom left Tuatara stamp
Several colour separation blocks were also available.
Signed First Day Covers, one with black postmarks, the other with red.
| The second set to be released in December was Marine Life on December 8. There were five stamps joined in a strip of 5. The 40c was also available in separate sheetlets. |
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 025 | PC 12/00 025 | 8/12/2000 | Complete Stamp Company - 40c Marine Life - Killer Whales |
| 026 | PC 12/00 026 | 8/12/2000 | Complete Stamp Company - 80c Marine Life - Humpback Whales |
| 027 | PC 12/00 027 | 8/12/2000 | Complete Stamp Company - $1.00 Marine Life - Moray Eel |
| 028 | PC 12/00 028 | 8/12/2000 | Complete Stamp Company - $1.50 Marine Life - Emperor Penguin Colony |
| 029 | PC 12/00 029 | 8/12/2000 | Complete Stamp Company - $1.80 Marine Life - Corals, Fishes |
| 030-032 | Not Issued | ||
| 033 | PC 12/00 033 | 8/12/2000 | Complete Stamp Company - $1.80 Marine Life - Large Montage |
| 034 | Not Issued |
025
026
027
028
029
033
Imperf between pair of 40c stamps
Even though the next set of stamps had an imprint
of 02/01, they were actually released on December 8, 2000.
This set was
the Auckland City Of Sails, again comprising of five stamps in a strip of 5.
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 035 | PC 02/01 035 | 8/12/2000 | Auckland 40c City of Sails - Canoeist |
| 036 | PC 02/01 036 | 8/12/2000 | Auckland 90c City of Sails - Landscape |
| 037 | PC 02/01 037 | 8/12/2000 | Auckland $1.40 City of Sails - City View |
| 038 | PC 02/01 038 | 8/12/2000 | Auckland $1.90 City of Sails - Sailing |
| 039 | PC 02/01 039 | 8/12/2000 | Auckland $2.00 City of Sails - Takapuna Beach |
035
036
037
038
039
An
unusual block showing just two colours, blue and black.
March 2001 saw another release depicting SPCA.
Five stamps were issued in a strip of 5.
Other combinations of individual
stamps were also available.
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 040 | PC 03/01 040 | 15/03/2001 | SPCA - 40c Boy with cat |
| 041 | PC 03/01 041 | 15/03/2001 | SPCA - 40c Girl with birds |
| 042 | PC 03/01 042 | 15/03/2001 | SPCA - 40c Boy with dog |
| 043 | PC 03/01 043 | 15/03/2001 | SPCA - 40c Girl with rabbit |
| 044 | PC 03/01 044 | 15/03/2001 | SPCA - 40c Girl with pony |
040
041
042
043
044
Multiple errors on this 40c Boy with Dog sheetlet.
There does not appear to be any stamps with 045-050 imprint numbers.
March 2001 saw the release of four stamps. Three
for Postage Paid International
and one for Postage Paid Australia.
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 051 | PC 03/01 051 | 01/03/2001 | Kiwi and World Map, $1.00 Postage Paid International (Yellow) |
| 052 | PC 03/01 052 | 01/03/2001 | Kiwi and World Map, ND Postage Paid Postcard International (Red) |
| 053 | PC 03/01 053 | 01/03/2001 | Kiwi and World Map, $1.00 Postage Paid Australia (Orange) |
| 054 | PC 03/01 054 | 01/03/2001 | Kiwi and World Map, $2.00 Postage Paid International (Purple) |
051
052
053
054
| The next set of stamps, Account Status, was prepared for issue also in March 2001, but it is likely that they were never issued. After having them produced, advice was given that the company may be breaking privacy laws by advertising on the outside of an envelope that companies were in default of payment. Some of them may have been used, but the majority of them were destroyed. |
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 055 | PC 03/01 055 | 01/03/2001 | Account Status 45c - 30 Days |
| 056 | PC 03/01 056 | 01/03/2001 | Account Status 45c - 60 Days |
| 057 | PC 03/01 057 | 01/03/2001 | Account Status 45c - 90 Days |
| 058 | PC 03/01 058 | 01/03/2001 | Account Status 45c - 90+ Days |
055
056
057
058
The 60, 90 and 90+ stamps were prepared se-tenant on a sheet.
| The Wellington Stamp Show was held on May 5, 2001 and to commemorate it, a set of three stamps, a miniature sheet and a folder were issued. A colour separation miniature sheet was included in the folder. |
| Cat No. | Imprint | Date Issued | Description |
| 059 | PC 05/01 059 | 05/05/2001 | Wellington Stamp Show 2001 - 40c |
| 060 | PC 05/01 060 | 05/05/2001 | Wellington Stamp Show 2001 - $2.00 |
| 061 | PC 05/01 061 | 05/05/2001 | Wellington Stamp Show 2001 - $1.50 |
059
060
061
Miniature Sheet
First Day Cover
Folder Outside Front Cover
Folder Inside Front Cover
Folder Inside Back Cover
Folder Outside Back Cover