The Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

is an international society for collectors of the postage stamps

Postage stamp

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...

 and postal history

Postal history

Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...

 of New Zealand and her Dependencies

Realm of New Zealand

The Realm of New Zealand is the entire area in which the Queen in right of New Zealand is head of state. The Realm comprises New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency in Antarctica, and is defined by a 1983 Letters Patent constituting the office of Governor-General of New...

.

The Society was formed in 1888 by stamp collectors based in Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

, New Zealand as The Philatelic Society of New Zealand. The Royal prefix was granted in 1946, and since then the Patron of the Society has been the Governor-General of New Zealand

Governor-General of New Zealand

The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....

 or his wife.

Objects

The Society's primary function is to promote research and the publication of results for the stamps and postal history of New Zealand and her Dependencies.

The Society has the following additional objects, as listed in its rules:

• To arrange and conduct meetings for members and non-members.
• To exchange ideas relating to philately
  Philately
  Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
  
  , and to promote the general advancement of philatelic knowledge.
• Research into stamps and philatelic material in general.
• To detect and expose philatelic forgeries and frauds.
• To form and maintain a library of philatelic literature and a reference collection of New Zealand and other stamps.
• To sell or otherwise dispose of stamps or other philatelic material among members.
• At its discretion to co-operate or affiliate with or assist financially or otherwise societies or bodies having objects similar or in part similar to the objects of the Society.
• To edit or publish books, papers or journals on philately.
• To promote, support or conduct philatelic exhibitions.
• To promote and take part in any other action for the benefit of philately in general as it sees fit.

Publications

In 1956 the Society won the Crawford Medal

Crawford Medal

The Crawford Medal is a vermeil medal awarded by the Royal Philatelic Society London for the most valuable and original contribution to the study and knowledge of philately published in book form during the relevant period....

 of The Royal Philatelic Society London for the third volume of The Postage Stamps of New Zealand.