The 'Decimal currency' jingle with the mascot 'Mr Dollar' to promote the changeover date ('DC Day') featured on TV

“Don’t shed a tear in July next year, for cumbersome pounds and pence,” the decimal currency song sang from mid-1966

Initially, $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 & $100 banknotes & 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 & 50 cent coins were issued

Later on, NZ Introduced $50 note (1983) & $1 & $2 coins (1991); & withdrew 1 & 2 cent coins (1990) & 5 cent coins (2006)

Training on decimal currency was given to banks & businesses

Certificates were issued to schoolchildren who had "attained a satisfactory knowledge of Decimal Currency"

The recipient was entitled to be called a Dollar Scholar & the certificate was signed by Mr Dollar

The first day New Zealanders began using decimal currency was likened to a rugby match by a cartoonist

For being the best cash-handler and currency converter at Self Help Stores, the checkout operator was awarded a TV set

(Photograph was published in the South Auckland Courier Central Edition, 30 August 1967, p. 3)

Decimalisation was overseen by Robert Muldoon who'd been appointed Under-Secretary to Minister of Finance in 1964

He was later appointed Associate Minister of Finance in 1966; Minister of Finance in 1967; & PM from 1975-1984

The Decimal Currency Board was formed to manage the conversion from sterling to decimal currency

The Board delegated the development of denominations to the Coinage Design Advisory Committee (CDAC)

Name suggestions for the new currency included 'dollar', ‘crown’, ‘fern’, ‘tūi’, 'royal', 'doubloon', & 'zeal'

{Image: Cartoonist's alternative names included "All Black", "Whinerary", "sheep", "hen's teeth", but not "zeal")

The Decimal Currency Act (3 Nov 1964) set out the designs, diameters & standard weights of the decimal coins

Denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 & 50 cent coins & 1 dollar coin were developed by the Coinage Design Advisory Committee

In 1965, the Cabinet approved the 'heads' side of the coins with Queen Elizabeth II's portrait by Arnold Machin

As with tradition, the ‘heads’ side showed the reigning monarch, & were minted by the Royal Mint, Llantrisant, Wales

For 'tail' side, the Committee appointed 14 artists after its public competition had 156 people submit 624 designs

The Cabinet then selected the designs by 5 of the artists to send to the Royal Mint for approval

When the Cabinet-approved designs were rejected by Royal Mint in Nov 1965, 5 more artists were asked to submit designs

Drawings sent to Royal Mint were leaked to media & public response was negative. (Image: Designs rejected for 20 cent)

In March 1966, the Committee published all the designs for the public to vote on using voting forms in newspapers

(Cartoon: Householder had prioritised filling out voting form for coins during the same period as census data gathering)

The initial plan for a one dollar coin, for which Berry was commissioned to create designs, was changed to a $1 banknote

The Committee designed the $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $100 in consultation with London banknote printers Thomas De La Rue

The $50 note was not introduced until 1983. (Image: Two Committee members)

Colour scheme was same as the equivalent pound notes for ease of transition except for new $5 note, & note sizes varied

Reverse side of the brown $1 note (140 × 70mm size) had a fantail & NZ clematis.

The banknotes featured Queen Elizabeth II's portrait which was based on a 1960 photograph by Anthony Buckley

The reverse side of the purple $2 note (140 × 70 mm size) featured a rifleman (native bird) & the red mistletoe

The reverse side of the orange $5 note (150 × 75 mm size) featured a tūī & kōwhai

The reverse side of the blue $10 note (155 × 77.5 mm size) featured the kea & the Mt Cook lily

The reverse side of the green $20 note (160 × 80 mm size) featured a kererū & a flowering branch of the miro tree

The new decimal currency worth $120 million & weighing more than 730 tonnes was shipped in crates to NZ

The new currency totalled 27 million banknotes & 165 million coins

$112 million worth of notes & $8 million in coins were delivered to 592 bank branches around NZ during April-June 1967

The design of the notes was not publically made known until June 1967 to thwart counterfeiters

Police & Army officers accompanied the delivery of the currency

(Image: Currency being delivered by truck to BNZ's Manurewa branch)

Decimal currency was also transported by six special trains around NZ

RNZ interview (19 July 2027) with David Parsons about the "Decimal Express" (23:20 mins)

The National Film Unit produced "Operation Overlander" (1:05 min) on the delivery by plane, ferry, truck & train

NZ National Film Unit (1967): 'Now it can be told" shows the security rollout of decimal currency across NZ (3.59 min)

Clip is part of Pictorial Parade No. 194

Behind-the scenes photos of banks changing over to the new currency were captured by Nelson Photo News, 22 July 1967

The sterling currency was withdrawn from circulation

Image: Furnaces at the Reserve Bank's Upper Hutt premises which were used to incinerate banknotes

Sets of decimal currency practice banknotes were issued to help train bank clerks

Sets of six plastic NZ decimal currency play money were also produced

The 5 cent coin was the same size & composition as the old sixpence coin it replaced to ease the transition

Training sessions for bank staff included acting as tellers & customers

Cash registers for pounds, shillings & pence were replaced with new cash registers

Training was given on how to use the new decimal currency cash registers

Training classes were also held by businesses

During 1967, the animated commercial "Decimal Currency Changeover" (30 secs) with Mr Dollar was shown on TV

A Māori ‘Mr Dollar’ was also designed which was distributed by Dept. of Māori Affairs

Cover: 'Dollars and cents / New money for New Zealand / It will come into force on 10 July 1967'.

Booklet "Dollars and cents and you" produced by the Decimal Currency Board

Booklet "Banking in dollars and cents" produced by the Decimal Currency Board

Ready reckoner book: "The complete dollar and cent reckoner & discount tables"

Published by Frederick Warne & Co Ltd

Currency conversion chart was printed by the Gisborne Photo News (Issue No 156, 14 June, 1967)

This tea towel, which features 'Mr Dollar', was issued with the sanction of the Decimal Currency Board

This linen towel showed the new coins & provided a conversion table, overseen by 'Mr Dollar'

Handkerchief printed with coins & anthropomorphised money around edges to aid transfer from sterling currency

Commemorative cup with decimal currency (1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c & 50c) was produced by Crown Lynn Potteries Ltd

In 1983, the $50 note was introduced

Nowadays: $5, $10, $20, $50 & $100 banknotes are legal tender

The one & two cent coins ceased as legal tender on 30 April 1990, & the 5 cent coins ceased on 1 Nov 2006

Nowadays, 10 cent, 20 cent & 50 cent coins & $1 & $2 coins are legal tender

In 1534, Novgorod Republic in Russia equated the kopek to 1/100th of the ruble of Moscow, making it the 1st decimal coin

However, the subdivisions of the kopek were non-decimal, eg denga = 1/2 of kopek or 200 to a ruble

In 1656, mathematician Robert Wood discussed metrics & decimalisation with scholar Samuel Hartlib's Oxford circle

Wood's pamphlet "Ten to One" was also distributed to mathematicians, parliamentarians & economists in England

Later in 1682, 'Decimal Arithmetick' was proposed by Sir William Petty (Oxford circle member) to aid accounting

in 'Quantalumcunque', he suggested one pound = 5 rather than 4 farthings. (Article recounts Grey's background & career)

In Jan 1696, British Govt decided Bank of England (formed 1694) to issue new coins & decimal advocates proposed changes

(Decision to reissue was due to counterfeiters, & to re-increase weight reduced during war with Ireland to pay troops)

Decimalisation advocates included Sir Christopher Wren who proposed decimal system based on silver noble (English coin)

Coins to be divided into 10 prime numbers & 100 seconds: "Centessimal Division will be very proper for Accounts"

However, British Govt decided to melt down & reissue coins in same denominations during 1696-1699 ('Great Recoinage')

New mechanical minting techniques were used. Coin Act 1696 (enacted 15 May 1697) made counterfeiting coins an offence.

On 2 April 1792, America adopted decimalisation under the Coinage Act ("Mint Act")

First U.S. coins were struck in 1793 & paper notes in 1861, although banks could print own paper money. (Image: Dollar)

From 1793 -1806, France trialled decimal time (10 hrs in day); & introduced metric measurement & decimalisation in 1795

France replaced livre tournois with the franc = 10 décimes = 100 centimes. (It reverted timekeeping to 24 hrs in 1806.)

Britain had sterling currency - pound, shilling, sixpence, threepence & penny

One pound = 20 shillings & one shilling = 12 pence. (Image: George III copper penny, 1806)

Spain had silver real coins (denonimations of one-half, 1, 2, 4 & 8) & gold escudos coins (1⁄2, 1, 2, 4 & 8 escudos)

Te silver 8-real coin was also known as the Spanish dollar

United States had copper, silver & gold coinage currency from 1793 & paper money began to be issued from 1861

Copper: half cent & cent; Silver: half dime, dime, quarter, half dollar, & dollar; Gold: eagle ($10), quarter & half

Dutch coins included the gulden & gold ducat

Portuguese currency included copper, silver & gold réis coins, & paper money (available since 1797)

A decimal system was adopted in 1837

French francs were also circulated in NZ

During 1824, British MP John Wrottesley proposed Britain follow France in adopting metric system & decimal currency

A summary account of events in Britain & France were noted at Chamber of Commerce meeting held in NZ in July 1902

However, the British Govt decided to continue with using pounds & pennies

(Image: British copper penny, 1826)

Accordingly, the Imperial Coinage Act, 1816 (UK) became applicable to NZ under British law

(Image: Copper penny with Queen Victoria, 1845)

British coins could be used alongside other foreign coins in NZ

(Image: French silver franc, 1840)

Foreign coins were officially listed on Government records

There were more Spanish coins in circulation than British coins. (Image: Spanish silver coin, 1852)

On 5 June 1847, NZ's first savings bank, the Auckland Savings Bank, opened on Queen Street

The Bank opened to receive deposits for an hour each Saturday evening in the store owned by John Montefiore (a trustee)

Due to low coin supplies, NZ traders began issuing own paper notes until Paper Currency Ordinance passed on 16 Oct 1847

The Ordinance authorised the Govt to make & issue paper currency & prohibited private individuals to do so

Consequently, the Colonial Bank of Issue was established in 1847 under the Ordinance to have monopoly to issue banknotes

The Govt wanted the Bank to have a monopoly on issuing bank notes to ensure there was sufficient & stable currency

In Aug 1847, a Bill for decimalisation was tabled by MP John Bowring after his speech in House of Lords on 27 April 1847

He stated: "Every man who looks at his ten fingers saw an argument of its use, and an evidence of its practicability".

British MP Bowring's decimal campaign in 1847 led to a compromise with the florin issued in 1849 to test public opinion

Florin (2 shillings) = 1/10th of £1 or 24 pence. It was known as 'Godless Florin' as DG (Dei Gratia) omitted on obverse.

During 1853, comments on how to convert the other British currency appeared in the media

After Bowring became an ex-MP in 1849, he published "The Decimal System in Numbers, Coins and Account" in 1854

NZ's Bank Paper Currency Act 1856 allowed trading banks to issue banknotes which led to Colonial Bank deciding to close

The Colonial Bank of Issue had to hold reserves in UK where interest rate was lower than NZ, which had reduced profits

In 1857, a group of Auckland & Dunedin businesses began issuing their own penny & halfpenny copper tokens

The tokens were issued as notes & coins were in short supply, & the tokens could only be used at that store

The minting of the tokens ceased in 1881, & they were officially no longer legal tender in 1897

(Image: Metal token made in 1858 for T.S. Forsaith, an Auckland wholesaler and draper)

In 1858, British coins were made legal tender in NZ

(Image: Bronze British one penny coin dated 1862)

Gold sovereign & half sovereign coins minted in Australia also became legal tender

(Image: Gold Australian Sovereign coin dated 1865)

On 14 Aug 1872, the National Bank of New Zealand Ltd was incorporated in London & purchased the Bank of Otago in 1873

National Bank of New Zealand (Ltd) Act (3 Sept 1873) enabled it to issue banknotes & cheques

In 1884, the Govt took a shareholding in the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) & in 1894 it became the majority shareholder

In 1840, UK shareholders had shifted BNZ's headquarters to London, which the NZ Govt then shifted to Wellington in 1894

The Bank-note Issue Act (2 Sept 1893) required banknotes issued by any bank to be backed by gold coinage

In Aug 1906, when Australia considered decimalisation, British Govt objected to breaking uniformity of Empire's currency

At the 1907 Colonial Conference, the merits of metric system & decimal currency were supported by the NZ delegation

However, Britain decided not to adopt metric system & decimalisation which US was also not in favour of

During 1909, discussion continued in NZ on decimalisation & possible types of decimal currency coinage

On 25 April 1918, UK's Decimal Coinage Bill had 1st reading in House of Lords & was shelved after 2d reading on 4 June

UK Treasury had regarded the present time during WWI as unsuitable to change the currency

11 Nov 1918: Conference on decimal coinage held by representatives of NZ's financial, educational & commercial interests

Attendees agreed to form Decimal Coinage Association to lobby Govt, as per 1918 Bill presented to UK's House of Lords

In 1918, Britain appointed the Royal Commission on Decimal Coinage which reported against decimalisation in 1920

Report stated only feasible approach of £1 = 1,000 mil too difficult to introduce. (Latin "millesimum" = 1000th of unit)

In July 1933, the New Zealand Coinage Committee was set up to review the sterling currency & consider decimalisation

Committee considered using a fractional system using same weights, sizes & denominations as Britain but with NZ designs

Committee designed the half-crown (equal to 30 pence or 2.5 shillings or 1/8th of pound) for issuing in late Nov 1933

The half-crown featured NZ coat of arms surrounded by Māori wood carvings on its observe side, & King George V on front

Consequently, the Coinage Act was retrospectively rushed through during Nov 1933 to authorise NZ's new coinage design

The new law provided for a distinctive NZ coinage & removed the status of Imperial coin as legal tender from 1 Feb 1935

Under the Reserve Bank Act (27 Nov 1933), Govt made provision to establish Reserve Bank of New Zealand to issue currency

Under Reserve Bank Act (1 April 1934), the Reserve Bank of New Zealand began operating on 1 August 1934

The Bank was two-thirds owned by the Government & one-third by private shareholders

In August 1934, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand issued its first series of 4 banknotes: 10s, £1, £5 & £50

Different colours distinguished between each of the denominations. (Image: Ten shilling banknote: orange colour)

The banknotes featured a kiwi, Arms of New Zealand, & a portrait of King Tāwhaio, the second Māori King

Verso featured a sketch of Mitre Peak. The banknotes were printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, London.

The banknotes were signed by the first Governor of the Reserve Bank, Leslie Lefeaux

(Image: Five pound banknote: blue-green colour)

The four banknotes were of the same size: 7 inches x 3.5 inches

(Image: Fifty pound banknote: Red colour)

On 1 Feb 1935, NZ introduced its own coinage designs & British coins ceased to be legal tender

(Image: NZ George V coin set (1935): Commemorative Waitangi Crown, Half-crown, Florin, Shilling, Sixpence & Threepence)

In 1935, the New Zealand Numismatic Society proposed a centennial coin or medal to commemorate NZ & Treaty of Waitangi

(An account was given during the Society's annual report presented in June 1936)

Consequently, the Waitangi Crown was produced in 1935 to commemorate the 1840 signing of the Treaty

It was the 1st 5-shilling coin minted of the NZ pound & NZ's first coin minted primarily for collectors with 1,128 made

In 1938, a Govt-sponsored design competition was held for commemorative half-crown, as well as a penny & half-penny

By mid-July 1939, NZ Govt approved the designs by the competition-winner NZ artist Leonard Cornwall Mitchell

The British monarch King George VI was on the obverse ('heads') side of each of the three coins

The three coins were struck by the Royal Mint & officially released in NZ in 1940

The penny featured a tūī in the branches of a kōwhai tree in bloom

The halfpenny featured a hei tiki (Māori neck pendant)

The silver half-crown had centennial logo & a Māori woman between Māori & European dwellings with sun rising behind her

Royal Mint struck 100,800 half-crowns which were released for circulation in 1940 & were largely 'snapped up' by 1941

In 1940, NZ's legal coins were the silver threepence, sixpence, shilling & florin (2 shillings); & the halfpenny & penny

The £10 banknote was introduced for the first time & given a green colour to distingush it from the other banknotes

The main imagge on the reverse side is a farming scene with a flock of sheep milling around cabbage trees

Each note depicted the coat of arms, a ship, a canoe & Captain James Cook (whose portrait replaced King Tāwhiao)

The reverse side of the £50 banknote shows a tui & a dairy-farm scene with grazing cows near Mt Taranaki

The image of the kiwi on 10 shilling note (& 2 shilling coin) was based on J. G. Keulemans’ illustration

The illustration had appeared in Walter Buller’s "A history of the birds of New Zealand" (1873)

In Aug 1945, the New Zealand Numismatic Society resolved to start a public campaign for decimal currency In NZ

Advocated involving Decimal Assoc (Ak), Society of Accountants, Associated Chambers of Commerce & others

During 1957, Opposition Labour MP Rex Mason submitted private members' bills to the NZ Parliament on decimalisation

NZ committee set up by National Govt proposed decimalisation which both National & Labour supported by the 1960 election

In 1963, NZ's National Govt announced that NZ to switch from sterling to decimal currency 4 years

The Decimal Currency Board was formed to manage the conversion from sterling to decimal currency by 10 July 1967

The Decimal Currency Act (3 Nov 1964) set out the designs, diameters & standard weights of the decimal coins

In 1961, British Govt set up its Committee of the Inquiry on Decimal Currency after Sth Africa adopted decimal currency

(In 1961, when the Republic of South Africa was proclaimed, the country changed its coins to rands & cents)

On 1 March 1966, the British Govt agreed to adopt decimalisation after receiving it's Committee of Inquiry's 1963 report

Proof sheets for the new coins were prepared in 1968 (see image) & the Decimal Currency Act was passed in May 1969

On 15 Feb 1971 ("Decimal Day"): Britain & Ireland converted to decimal currency

The pound became 100 pence (previously 240 pence) & the name "pound" was retained

1981: New series of bank notes

Each banknote featured a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II & a watermark of Captain James Cook on the front

In 1990, the one dollar coin was minted & issued on 11 Feb 1991 to replace the $1 banknote

The $1 notes were withdrawn later in 1991 by when the new $1 coin had become widely circulated

Image on the front of the $1 coin was a kiwi which was transferred from the 20 cent coin

(The replacement design for the 20 cent coin was an image of the Pukaki carving, & the coin was issued in Dec 1990)

The two dollar coin was also minted in 1990 to replace the $2 banknote & also issued on 11 Feb 1991

The $2 notes were withdrawn later in 1991

New $1 coin with the kiwi on the front & the $2 coin with the kōtuku / white heron

$1 coin: Diameter: 23mm, Thickness: 2.74mm & Weight: 8g. $2 coin: Diameter: 26.5mm, Thickness: 2.70mm & Weight: 10g

The new $1, $2 & 20 cent coins were designed by Robert Maurice Conly, MBE, of Wellington

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse side of the coins was by the British-Palestinian sculptor Raphael Maklouf

In mid-1991, the banknotes were redesigned to include famous New Zealanders with Queen Elizabeth II only on $20 note

$5 note: Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) - Mountaineer (1st up Everest with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay) & Antarctica explorer

$10 note: Kate Sheppard (1847-1934) - Suffragist who was prominent leader of the campaign to give women the vote in NZ

$50 note: Sir Āpirana Ngata (1874-1950) - Ngāti Porou leader & politician (MP for Eastern Māori)

$100 note: Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) - Scientist & Nobel Laureate in Chemistry for atomic & radioactivity research

A special release of the $2 coin was made to celebrate the new series of banknotes with native bird designs in 1992-1993

During 1999-2000, the series of banknotes with images designed in 1992 were made from polymer (plastic) instead of paper

The use of polymer enabled the incorporation of more security features as shown on this image of the five dollar note

The banknotes were printed by Australian Reserve Bank subsidiary Printing Australia Ltd (NPA) in Victoria

The polymer substrate used was produced by Securency Pty Ltd of which the Australian Reserve Bank was a half-owner

In 2008, the Reserve Bank released the book "Security features of New Zealand’s banknotes"

On 31 July 2006, smaller & lighter 10, 20 & 50 cent coins of plated steel were introduced, & 5 cent coin not replaced

(Over the years inflation had reduced the value of the 5 cent coin & the cost to produce was more than its face value)

In 2010, the Reserve Bank commissioned Nielsen to survey the public on the banknotes & favourable feedback was received

The public were generally satisfied with the colours, design & themes, & the range of notes

However, the Reserve Bank decided to modernise the banknotes' designs & security

In Dec 2014, article "Designing New Zealand's new banknote series" appeared in Reserve Bank bulletin (v.7, n.7: p.1-8)

In Oct 2015, the $5 & $10 notes were released

The notes had the same images which were brighter in colour & had larger text

Te Reo Māori also featured more prominently with 'Te Pūtea Matua' (Reserve Bank) included on front & 'Aotearoa' on rear

In April 2016, the remainder of the series of modernised banknotes were released: $20, $50 & $100

In 2016, NZ's $5 banknote won IBNS Banknote of the Year title at the International Bank Note Society's annual meeting

TV3 (11 April 2016): "A history of NZ money" looks at the 160-year history of NZ's official currency

Article & video (1:09 mins)