The New Zealand five-dollar note is a New Zealand banknote. It is issued by the

Reserve Bank of New Zealand The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) () is the central bank of New Zealand. It was established in 1934 and is currently constituted under the ''Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 2021''. The current acting governor of the Reserve Bank, Christian ...

and since 1999 has been a

polymer banknote Polymer banknotes are banknotes made from a synthetic polymer such as biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Such notes incorporate many security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. Polymer banknote ...

. It was first issued on 10 July 1967 when New Zealand decimalised its currency, changing from the

New Zealand pound The pound (symbol £, £NZ. for distinction) was the currency of New Zealand from 1933 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Prior to this, New Zealand used the pound sterling since the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Like t ...

to the

New Zealand dollar The New Zealand dollar (; currency sign, sign: $; ISO 4217, code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Zeal ...

. The note originally had an image of Queen Elizabeth II on the front; since 1992 it has had an image of Sir

Edmund Hillary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineering, mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa people, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the Timeline of M ...

. The new design released in October 2015 was named "Banknote of the Year" by the

International Bank Note Society Notaphily is the study and collection of paper money, currency, and banknotes. A notaphilist is a collector of banknotes or paper money, particularly as a hobby. History It is believed that people have been collecting paper money for as long as ...

for 2015.

Design

There have been seven different series of New Zealand banknotes, and the five-dollar note was introduced with the third series of banknote.

Third series (1967–1982)

The first five-dollar notes were issued alongside the first one-dollar, two-dollar, ten-dollar, twenty-dollar, and one-hundred-dollar notes with the introduction of the New Zealand dollar on 10 July 1967. They were made of cotton-based paper. The design was selected by a six-person design committee appointed in 1964, which included Alexander McLintock,

Stewart Bell Maclennan Stewart Bell Maclennan (14 May 1903 – 6 July 1973) was a New Zealand artist and was a director of the National Art Gallery of New Zealand. Maclennan was born in Dunedin on 14 May 1903. He received his art training at the Dunedin School o ...

and Professor John Simpson, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

. All the notes of this series had Queen Elizabeth II on the front, and a watermark of Captain

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

. They also had a New Zealand bird and the plant most closely associated with that species on the back. The five-dollar note featured a

tūī The tūī (''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'') is a medium-sized bird native to New Zealand. It is blue, green, and bronze coloured with a distinctive white throat tuft (poi). It is an endemism, endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, and the on ...

perched on a

kōwhai Kōwhai ( or ) are small woody legume trees within the genus '' Sophora'', in the family Fabaceae, that are native to New Zealand. There are eight species, with '' Sophora microphylla'' and '' Sophora tetraptera'' being large trees. Their natu ...

tree.

Fourth series (1982–1991)

In late 1981 the Reserve Bank switched to a different printer which meant that new printing plates had to be made. The only changes with this series were minor drawing changes and an update to the portrait of Elizabeth II.

Fifth series (1992–1999)

New Zealand's banknotes were completely re-designed in the 1990s to introduce uniquely New Zealand designs. The $1 and $2 notes were removed from circulation, and replaced with coins. The explorer Sir

was depicted on the front of the five-dollar note, with

Aoraki / Mount Cook Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, , is listed as . It is situated in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite ch ...

, the tallest mountain in New Zealand at , shown on the left hand side. Hillary was one of the first two individuals known to have reached the summit of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

, and the first to have been to the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish ...

, the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

and the summit of Everest. One of the Ferguson tractors driven by Hillary to the pole could be seen in the lower left corner, next to the fern motif. Hillary is the only living person, other than monarchs, to appear on a New Zealand banknote during his lifetime. The back of the note featured a scene from Campbell Island which is south of

Stewart Island / Rakiura Stewart Island (, 'Aurora, glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island wit ...

. The penguin shown on the note is the hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin), which is native to New Zealand. '' Bulbinella rossii'', commonly known as the Ross lily, with its yellow flower heads, was also featured. The Queen featured on a watermark. The design also featured a

tukutuku Tukutuku panelling is a distinctive art form of the Māori people of New Zealand, a traditional latticework used to decorate meeting houses (wharenui). Other names are Tuitui and Arapaki. Tukutuku flank the posts around the edge of the wharenu ...

pattern known as kaokao that is found at the Tane-Nui-A-Rangi meeting house at Waipapa Marae at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

Sixth series (1999–2015)

In 1999, New Zealand changed from paper banknotes to

polymer banknotes Polymer banknotes are banknotes made from a synthetic polymer such as biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Such notes incorporate many security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. Polymer banknote ...

. The change increased the life of the banknotes and also allowed new and improved security features to prevent

counterfeiting A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

. The overall design of the notes remained unchanged albeit for slight modifications for the new security features.

Seventh series (2015–present)

New five-dollar and ten-dollar banknotes were released in October 2015 as part of the Series 7 banknote release (described by the Reserve Bank as the "Brighter Money" series). The remaining three banknote denominations ($20, $50, $100) in Series 7 were released in May 2016. The new series was introduced in order to add more security features to New Zealand banknotes. As surveys showed that the New Zealand public were generally content with the note design, very few design changes were made, and the design remains substantially the same as the Series 5 design. The note was brighter in colour and featured the Māori translation of Reserve Bank (Te Putea Matua), and "New Zealand, Aotearoa" on the back. One notable change in relation to the five-dollar note design was that Hillary's tractor was removed, in order to allow room for security features. The note was named "Banknote of the Year" by the

for 2015. Of the nearly 150 new banknotes released that year, nearly 40 were eligible for the award. The society said: "Printed by the Canadian Bank Note Company in Ottawa, each stunning orange and brown $5 note displays a map of New Zealand in a gorgeous polymer window as well as numerous upgraded security features."

Geoff Bascand Geoff Bascand was the Deputy Governor and Head of Operations at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. He was Government Statistician and the Chief Executive of Statistics New Zealand until May 2013.

Security features

New Zealand's banknotes incorporate many security features to prevent

. The newer polymer banknotes have a distinctive plastic feel and should not tear easily. Security features on the Series 7 five-dollar note include a large transparent window containing intricate details, such as the denomination of the note and a detailed border with ferns and

koru The is a spiral shape evoking a newly Circinate vernation, unfurling frond from a Cyathea dealbata, silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori people, Māori art, bone carving, carving and Tā moko, tattooing, where it symbolise ...

patterns. When held up to the light, small puzzle pieces on the front and back of the note form a complete number 5 (the denomination of the note). The front and back of the banknote have raised ink that can be felt. On the front of the banknote, the large number 5, the portrait and the words "Reserve Bank of New Zealand Te Pūtea Matua" are raised; on the back, the large number 5, the featured bird and the words "New Zealand" and "Aotearoa" are raised. The Series 6 security features include that, when the note is shown to the light, a shadow image of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

is displayed. There is intaglio printing through the note which gives it an embossed feel. Under

UV light Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of t ...

a fluorescent patch will appear showing "5", the denomination of the note. The note has a see-through window in the shape of fern on the left and an oval-shaped window on the right. There is an image of a fern located above the see-through window, and the two sides should match perfectly when held up to the light.

References

{{Economy of New Zealand Banknotes of New Zealand Five-base-unit banknotes Edmund Hillary