Kiwipex

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[edit] Kiwipex 2006 Introduction

Canpex 2000 was a very successful New Zealand national stamp exhibition, and in late 2001 a decision was made not to wind up the organisation but to continue existing in a different form. After the necessary changes were approved by the Registrar of Incorporated Societies, the organization’s name was altered to Canpex Inc. and an application was made to the New Zealand Philatelic Federation to stage a national stamp exhibition in Christchurch in the year 2006. The application was approved in March 2002.

The Kiwipex 2006 organizers welcome all: visitors, exhibitors, stand holders, judges and commissioners to experience a stamp exhibition with a difference.

Kiwipex 2006 is the name of the NZPF approved exhibition and is being held to celebrate the centenary of the 1906/1907 New Zealand International Exhibition that was held in Christchurch, for which New Zealand’s first commemorative stamps were issued.

The 1906 Christchurch Exhibition opened to the public on 1 November 1906, which was a Thursday. Kiwipex 2006 will be open to visitors on Thursday 2 November 2006, exactly 100 years to the day of the opening of the Christchurch Exhibition!

The Christchurch Convention Centre is the venue for Kiwipex 2006. It is in central Christchurch and is easily accessible from most parts of the city. Within walking distance are several quality hotels, and fine restaurants as well as the Christchurch Casino. In addition, there is an air bridge connection to the Christchurch Town Hall – the site of the Kiwipex 2006 Palmares, or awards dinner on Saturday 4 November.

Kiwipex 2006 has over 600 frames of exhibits, and 26 trade stands accommodating the wares of New Zealand Post and 31 stamp dealers (who are all NZSDA/APTA members) from around the world. In addition Southern Colour Print will be attending Kiwipex 2006.

Kiwipex 2006 is not only a New Zealand national stamp exhibition but, like Canpex 2000, also has Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP) Support. This means that for the second time within 7 years visitors to a Christchurch based New Zealand national stamp exhibition will have the opportunity to see some of the best philatelic exhibits from Asia, which would otherwise be most unlikely to be displayed in Christchurch. Kiwipex 2006 also has some of the best exhibits from California displayed thanks to the efforts of Steve Schumann.

Kiwipex 2006 is also pleased to host the King George VI Colonial Postal History Challenge, the culmination of several years’ planning by various exhibitors. This planning involved creating a new exhibit virtually from scratch, by some two dozen collectors, mostly from Australia and New Zealand. Kiwipex 2006 wishes these (and all) exhibitors well with their endeavours.

[edit] The 1906 Christchurch International Exhibition

Readers may be interested to learn a little more about the 1906 Christchurch International Exhibition. The main exhibition buildings were the length of four city blocks extending from Armagh Street to Salisbury Streets in Christchurch’s Hagley Park.

The building was huge with a ¼ mile long front - and covered an area of about 14 acres (or, for those not familiar with the Imperial units of measurement - an approx 400 metres long frontage with an area of almost 5.5 hectares)! Today the only remnant of the 1906 exhibition is Lake Victoria, in Hagley Park, which was used for the water chute attraction.

After several delays the foundation stone was eventually laid by the then Premier of New Zealand, R J Seddon, on 18 December 1905. The total cost of construction of the exhibition building amounted to £87,732.

At the time of the 1906 exhibition New Zealand’s population was around 975,000 of whom some 68,000 lived in Christchurch. The number of persons entering the exhibition grounds was 1,967,682 - or about 30 times the city’s population! Today, New Zealand’s population is a little over 4.2 million, of whom approximately 365,000 reside in Christchurch.

A railway branch line was built from Riccarton railway station into Hagley Park and the exhibition grounds for the carriage of building materials and exhibits only. Electric trams were driven over new track especially laid for the exhibition which travelled from Victoria Street, along Peterborough Street, on to Park Terrace, out along Salisbury Street and back to the main line on Victoria Street.

The exhibition was opened on Thursday 1 November 1906 by the then Governor of New Zealand, Lord Plunket, and the Christchurch International Exhibition closed on 15 April 1907, having incurred a substantial financial loss.

A post office was opened on the exhibition site on 22 October 1906 for the convenience of the exhibition staff and exhibitors, but four of the 1906 Christchurch Exhibition stamps were not released until November. The ½d (green), 1d (vermilion), and 3d (brown and blue) stamps were issued on 1 November 1906 - the opening day; whilst the 6d (pink and olive green) stamp was not issued until 16 November 1906.

The exhibition site post office closed on 20 April 1907. Nine used examples of the 1d claret error of colour are known; each with 20 April 1907 Christchurch Exhibition cancels and perhaps around 120 mint examples are known.

Some 60,000 sets of the four 1906 Christchurch Exhibition stamps exist. These were New Zealand’s first commemorative stamps, as each bore the inscription COMMEMORATIVE SERIES OF 1906. Kiwipex 2006 opens 100 years to the day of the opening of the 1906 Christchurch International Exhibition.

References used: The Great Exhibition Christchurch 1.11.1906 to 15.4.1907, by A de Kort, 1985. Collecting New Zealand Stamps, by Robin Gwynn, 1988.