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| 5 New Zealand Dollars note Queen Elizabeth II |
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| 5 New Zealand Dollars banknote |
New Zealand five-dollar note, New Zealand banknotes, New Zealand paper money, New Zealand bank notes.
Obverse: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - Queen of New Zealand.
Various geometric patterns used to supply the necessary security and enhance the design. Value of note on top left and bottom right corners with the serial number opposite.
Reverse: Tui (Prosthermadera novaeseelandiae), a honey-eating bird with a characteristic white plumage at the throat and a beautiful bell-like song.
Kowhai (Sophora microphylla), a tree with large golden nectar-secreting blossoms.
Window watermark panel containing portrait of Captain Cook.
New Zealand Dollar Banknotes
In 1967, notes were introduced by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 100 dollars. 50 dollar notes were added in 1983, whilst 1 and 2 dollar notes were discontinued in 1991. The first two series of notes (1967-81 and 1981-92) differed only in the portrait of the Queen featured on the obverse. The reverses all depicted native birds and plants and remained unchanged through both series.
In 1992 A completely redesigned new series of banknotes was introduced by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and except for the 20 dollars, the portrait of the Queen was dropped from all notes.
New Zealand banknotes, since 1999, have been printed on plastic polymer instead of conventional rag paper used for banknote production. There was a slight controversy, but this move was mostly met with curiosity by the public. Such polymer notes have many advantages, notably a photocopy can effortlessly be distinguished from the real thing by touch, and many people have been thankful that the notes go through a washing machine with no ill effects. The notes are also difficult to tear without the aid of a cutting tool, but will tear more easily than the paper notes if a tear is started. Initial versions of the polymer $5 note had issues with the ink wearing and aging prematurely, but this was rectified in later production runs. The Reserve Bank states that polymer banknotes last at least four times as long as the old conventional paper banknotes. The polymer banknotes also have vastly improved security features and are very difficult to counterfeit.