(Cited from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand 10 July 1967 Specimen Booklet Volume)

Historical Background

In August 1963 the Government announced that New Zealand would change to decimal currency in July 1967, and that the major unit would be equivalent to 10/- in the old currency. It was subsequently announced that the major unit would be called the dollar and the minor unit the cent, and that Decimal Changeover Day (D.C. Day) would be 10th July, 1967.

The decision to change to decimal currency followed the recommendations of the Decimal Coinage Committee which reported in 1959. (The Coinage Committee, 1933, which was set up following the decision to issue distinctive New Zealand coinage in that year, had considered the question of decimal coinage, but in its report recommended that, because of the cost involved, a change should not be made because of the depressed economic conditions prevailing at that time.)

The Decimal Currency Act 1964 established the Decimal Currency Board which, under powers delegated to it by the Minister of Finance, was responsible for planning and arranging the transition from the existing currency system to the decimal system. Its functions did not, however, include the provision of decimal currency notes. This is the responsibility of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand which has had the sole right to issue bank notes in New Zealand since opening for business on 1st August, 1934. (The six trading banks then operating in New Zealand had each previously had its own note issue.) Under authority given in its Act, the Bank determines the denominations, form, design, content and material of its notes, and has therefore been responsible for the production of the new notes shown in this volume.

$1 Note

The $1 note measures 140 × 70 mm and is brown in colour.

The face features a large free-standing portrait of H.M. The Queen, based on a photograph by Anthony Buckley, which constitutes the dominant design feature. Various geometric patterns have been used to enhance the design and provide the necessary security. Māori motifs have been incorporated into the background to form an attractive and important feature of the design. Another significant feature is the window watermark panel containing a portrait of Captain Cook. The value of the note appears in the top left and bottom right corners with the serial number opposite. The central portion carries the words “This note is legal tender for ……………” together with a facsimile of the Chief Cashier’s signature.

The reverse depicts the New Zealand fantail and the New Zealand clematis. The fantail is well known throughout New Zealand. It is usually pied black and white in colour and is characterised by its fan-shaped tail. The clematis is a climbing plant whose starry white petals are often seen in New Zealand bush and forest, particularly at the tops of trees.

$2 Note

The $2 note measures 145 × 72.5 mm and is mauve in colour.

The face possesses the same significant features as the $1 note, with variations in the geometrical designs and Māori motifs.

The reverse depicts the rifleman (bird) and mistletoe. The rifleman is the smallest of the New Zealand native birds and is most frequently seen in the forests of the South Island, although it also inhabits other forest areas. Its common name stems from a fancied resemblance of its plumage to the uniform of an early colonial regiment. The mistletoe is a parasitic shrub growing mostly on native beech trees. It is found in forest and bush throughout New Zealand and can readily be seen in flower during January and February.

$5 Note

The $5 note measures 150 × 75 mm and is orange in colour.

The face is identical in its principal features to that of the $1 note, with variations in the geometrical designs and Māori motifs.

The reverse depicts the tui and kōwhai. The tui is a honey-eating bird distinguished by its characteristic white throat plumage. It has a beautiful bell-like song and is common wherever kōwhai trees grow in profusion. The kōwhai tree, with its large golden nectar-secreting blossoms, is among the earliest spring-flowering plants and is much admired for its beauty.

$10 Note

The $10 note measures 155 × 77.5 mm and is blue in colour.

The face shares the same principal design elements as the $1 note, differing only in the geometrical designs and Māori motifs.

The reverse depicts the kea and the mountain lily. The kea is a native parrot with beautiful olive-green plumage and brilliant vermilion colouring beneath its wings. It inhabits open mountain country. The mountain lily, despite its common name, is actually a member of the buttercup family. Its large waxy white flowers grow in alpine regions.

$20 Note

The $20 note measures 160 × 80 mm and is green in colour.

The face follows the same principal design as the $1 note, with variations in the geometrical designs and Māori motifs.

The reverse depicts the wood pigeon and miro berry. The bird, noted for its size and brilliance of plumage, is one of the most magnificent of all pigeons and the best known of New Zealand’s inland forest birds. The miro is a large tree bearing yellow berries which ripen to bright red and are about the size of a small plum. These berries are a favourite food of the pigeon, which becomes notably fat and lazy when feeding upon them.

$100 Note

The $100 note measures 160 × 80 mm and is crimson in colour.

The face is identical in its principal design features to the $1 note, with variations in the geometrical designs and Māori motifs.

The reverse depicts the takahē and mountain daisy. The takahē is a very rare flightless bird found in the southwest of the South Island. Until a small colony was rediscovered in 1948, it had been thought extinct for approximately fifty years. Its rediscovery excited ornithologists and captured the public imagination. The mountain daisy is found in sub-alpine areas and bears a white flower, making it a popular subject for outdoor sketches.