Road to Rio....

Road To Rio : Be the Inspiration

Date of Issue : 6 July 2016

‘Be the Inspiration’ is the theme of New Zealand’s 2016 Olympic Games campaign. It tells the story of how this nation supports and inspires its athletes as they prepare to pull on the iconic black singlet ‒ which has been worn with pride by generations before them. To support its sporting teams New Zealand Post has prepared for releasing ten special stamps under the title “Road to Rio”.

The journey to Rio is symbolised by a long ribbon that weaves its way throughout New Zealand, showing the path that the athletes have taken and the inspiration and support they have built along the way. Starting and ending with Te Mähutonga (the Southern Cross), the ribbon travels across the green hills, mountains and native forests of New Zealand to the beaches and bright lights of Rio de Janeiro.

Collectible stamps to celebrate the world’s greatest sporting event 

The stunning stamp issue consists of ten $1 stamps ‒ representing the ten events that New Zealand has previously won gold medals in: athletics, boxing, canoeing, swimming, equestrian, field hockey, triathlon, rowing, cycling and sailing. Featuring elements of the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s (NZOC’s) ‘Be the Inspiration’ campaign, the photographs on the stamps reflect the New Zealand landscape as the athletes’ training ground for future success.

The ten stamps are housed within a specially designed sheetlet and are uniquely shaped as parallelograms to represent movement ‒ reflecting the active lifestyles of New Zealand’s Olympic athletes.