2802. 🇳🇿New Zealand Highllights Biosecurity.

 

New issues -

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post -

5 November 2025 - Biosecurity protection - 5 stamps. Designed by Helcia Berryman of Mopsy Creative and lithographed by Brebner Print and perforated 14.5. Rating:- *.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post -

9 November 2025 - 15th National Games - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet issued in a $68 ‘Joint souvenir pack’ containing the 4 Hong Kong Post stamps, 4 stamps issued by Macau Post & Telecommunications and 3 stamps issued by China Post. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

Thanks to G. James for information about this issue.

🇧🇼 Botswana Post -

2024 - Botswana’s first digital census - 2 stamps. Lithographed. I have so far failed to report this issue about which I presently still have no other information. Rating:- ***.

🇬🇮 Royal Gibraltar Post Office -

?November 2025 - Joint issue with the Liechtenstein postal service, birds of prey - 2 miniature sheets each containing 2 different stamps (1 each of a stamp from both postal services). Further details awaited.

2800. 🇨🇾 Cyprus Commemorates Small States Games.

 

New issues -

🇨🇾 Cyprus Post -

9 October 2025 - Games of the small states of Europe, Andorra, Cyprus headed the medal table- 4 stamps. Designed by Lisa Petridou Male & lithographed by Baltic High Security Printing. (Thanks to Anonymous for supplying production details in the comments section). Rating:- *****.

🇮🇳 India Post -

30 September 2025 - 75th anniversary of the President’s Bodyguard - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

1 October 2025 - Centenary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***

1 October  2025 -  Centenary of the Military Nursing Service - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post -

1 October 2025 - World Children’s Day - 1 stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

🇧🇧 Barbados Post - 

1 October 2025 - 70th anniversary of the Barbados Fire Service - 5 stamps. Further details awaited. The photograph shows officials at the launch of the stamps with a framed set and first day cover. Stamp illustrations awaited. 

2648. 🇳🇿 New Zealand To Commemorate 1950 Empire Games.

 

New Issues -

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post -

5 February 2025 - 75th anniversary of the 4th British Empire Games held in Auckland inn1950 - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 4 stamps. Designed by YMC Design, Wellington and lithographed by Brebner Print and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- ***.

🇲🇹 MaltaPost -

5 December 2024 - Veronaphil 2024 Philatelic Exhibition - 1 previously issued Greetings stamp reissued with attached label. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

New issue programmes for 2025 -

🇹🇷 Postal service of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus -

20 March 2025 - ‘Our cartoon artists’

8 May 2025 - EUROPA, National archaeological discoveries

16 October 2025 - Chess in Northern Cyprus 

12 November 2025 - Vocational high schools in the Üreten Genlick Project

🇵🇬 PNG Post (postal service of Papua New Guinea -

13 March 2025 - Traditional kenu paddles  - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir shret’. Further details awaited as with all the following issues -

16 April 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 1 - 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

23 April 2025 - Fruit trees - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

14 May 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 2 - 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

30 May 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 3 - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’ 

11 June 2025 -  Traditional round houses in the Highlands - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’

16 July 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 4 - 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

13 August 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 5 - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’

28 August 2025 - Christmas - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’

2639. 🇲🇺 🇳🇿 Mauritius Features Observatory; New Zealand’s 2025 New Issue Programme.

New Issues -

🇲🇺 Mauritius Post -

30 December 2024 - 150th anniversary of the Royal Alfred Observatory - 1 stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

🇦🇺 Australia Post -

Up until now I have not featured all the stamps issued in individual booklets which commemorate the Australian gold medal winners in the 2024 Paralympic Games (some of them were illustrated in previous Blogs). This omission is now corrected - 

September 2024 - Australian gold medal winners at the Paris Paralympic Games - 18 stamps -

 New Issue Programmes for 2025 - 

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post -

15 January - Chinese New Year, Year of the Snake (see Blog 2627).

5 February -  75th anniversary of The British Empire Games, 1950

5 March - Animals in service 

7,8,9 March - Royalpex Exhibition 

2 April - Pasifika Festival 

7 May - The Rocky Horror Show 

4 June - Soil

2 July - Native frogs

6 August - Black ferns 

3 September - Round kiwi stamp

3 September - issue inscribed Ross Dependency 

1 October - Christmas 

5 November - Biosecurity

Commonwealth countries and territories which are not yet known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during 2024 up until the end of December.

Anguilla 

Belize

British Indian Ocean Territory 

British Virgin Islands 

Cameroon 

Cook Islands including Rarotonga 

Cook Islands Aitutaki

Cook Islands Penrhyn

Gabon

Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique 

Kenya 

Lesotho 

Maldives 

Montserrat 

Mozambique 

Nauru 

Niue

Rwanda

Samoa 

Solomon Islands 

Tokelau 

Tonga

Tonga Niuafo’ou 

Trinidad And Tobago 

Tuvalu 

Uganda 

United Republic of Tanzania 

Vanuatu 

  Therefore by the end of December 2024, 28 out of the 89 (31.5%) Commonwealth philatelic entities are not known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during the year. This contrasts with the figure of 27 (30.7%) at the end of December 2023 and 21.3% at the end of 2022. It also contrasts with the figure of 29 (32.6%) at the end of November 2023. 

  It appears there is very little change between 2023 and 2024 in the number of Commonwealth philatelic entities which have failed to release postage stamps during the preceding year. If only those that do issue stamps in excessive numbers would alter their policies to reduce the price and number of products they release then new issue collecting would be far more satisfactory. But if people keep buying them then they will keep producing them.