International awareness of Maori culture soared in the 1980s with the enormously successful ‘Te Maori’ exhibition, in which traditional Maori artefacts went on display in galleries in New York, St Louis, San Francisco and Chicago, before returning to tour galleries in New Zealand’s four main urban centres. 2009 is the 25th anniversary of the Te Maori exhibition opening. The heitiki that appears on the 50c stamp played a significant part in this exhibition. You can read more about this watershed event – and its impact for Maori and New Zealand – in the Limited Edition that accompanies this collection.

The heitiki on the $1.00 stamp was carved by Raponi, a renowned Maori artist. New Zealand Post commissioned Raponi to produce this contemporary piece. The traditional design is recognised the world over as an enduring symbol of Maori culture, art and adornment. You can read more about the contemporary Maori heitiki in the presentation pack.

Maori artist Rangi Kipa has established an international reputation for innovation while constantly drawing inspiration from his Maori heritage. This is particularly evident in this heitiki, which is made from corian – a manmade material commonly used for kitchen worktops and bathroom vanities. Rangi was commissioned by New Zealand Post to produce this piece for the stamp issue. In total Rangi produced five identical heitiki, two of which are to be sold through REAL Aotearoa stores in Auckland and Christchurch.

Similar yet always different, each heitiki is a work of art – carefully, lovingly designed, created and carved by Maori artists for generation after generation. Some, like this female heitiki – made from a kahurangi (pale) variety of pounamu (greenstone) – are now safely in the care of museums, often put on display as beautiful emblems of the Maori people and their home, New Zealand.

Order this stamp and you’ll see for yourself the remarkably intricate carving that has produced this miniature masterpiece. More than 160 years old, she’s now held by the New Zealand government, and is part of the collections of The Museum of New Zealand – Te Papa Tongarewa.

Heitiki have been made from a wide variety of materials, from pounamu and whalebone (paraoa) to cow bone, granite, wood and various plastic materials. Pounamu and paraoa remain the most prestigious – rare, precious and uniquely suited to carving. This 1991 paraoa heitiki (carved by Rangi Hetet) made its first appearance in the 2008 Matariki collection – and well deserves another outing here.