The New Zealand ten-dollar note is a
New Zealand banknote. It is issued by the
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ, mi, Te Pūtea Matua) is the central bank of New Zealand. It was established in 1934 and is constituted under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989. The governor of the Reserve Bank is responsible for N ...
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 1840 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Like the pound sterling, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviation s or /) each of 12 pen ...
to the
New Zealand dollar
The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; 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 ...
. The ten-dollar note originally had an image of Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
on the front; since 1993 it has had an image of suffragist
Kate Sheppard
Katherine Wilson Sheppard ( Catherine Wilson Malcolm; 10 March 1848 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent member of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand and the country's most famous suffragist. Born in Liverpool, England, she emig ...
.
Design
There have been seven different series of New Zealand bank notes, and the ten-dollar note was introduced with the third series of bank note.
Third series (1967–1981)
The first ten-dollar notes were issued alongside the first one-dollar, two-dollar, five-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 ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...
.
All the notes of this series had Queen Elizabeth II on the front, and a watermark of Captain
James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
. They also had a New Zealand bird and the plant most closely associated with that species on the back. The ten-dollar note had a blue background. On the back was a
kea
The kea (; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wing ...
(a New Zealand parrot). The kea was perched on a mountain lily, which had large waxy flowers.
Fourth series (1982–1993)
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 (1993–1999)
New Zealand's banknotes were completely re-designed in the 1990s to introduce uniquely New Zealand designs.
Kate Sheppard, the most famous New Zealand suffragist, was now on the front of the ten-dollar note, next to a white
camellia
''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controversy ...
, a symbol for universal suffrage in New Zealand. A
whio, an endangered species of New Zealand bird, was on the back. Between the portrait and the camellia was a map of New Zealand. The note had a light blue background with ferns.
Another feature was the
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 wharenui ...
patterning on the front, taken from the Te Hau ki Tūranga meeting house at
Te Papa Museum
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring f ...
.
The ten-dollar note was released in 1993 to mark the centennial of women getting the vote in New Zealand in 1893.
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
To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...
. The overall design of the notes remained unchanged albeit for slight modifications for the new security features.
Seventh series (2015–present)
A new ten-dollar note was released in October 2015 along with the newly designed five-dollar note, 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.
The new five-dollar and ten-dollar notes filtered out slowly because the new notes were only issued as returned older notes came in. Polymer banknotes last four times as long as cotton banknotes, and many notes from the sixth series can still be found in circulation. As of August 2019, less than half of the $5 and $10 in circulation are these new type, with the sixth series notes still dominating.
Security features
New Zealand's banknotes incorporate many security features to prevent
counterfeiting
To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...
. The newer polymer banknotes have a distinctive plastic feel and should not tear easily.
Security features on the Series 7 ten-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 ''koru'' () is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace.
Its shape "conveys the ide ...
patterns. When held up to the light, small puzzle pieces on the front and back of the note form a complete number 10 (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 10, the portrait and the words "Reserve Bank of New Zealand Te Pūtea Matua" are raised; on the back, the large number 10, 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 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
is displayed. There is
intaglio printing through the note which gives it an embossed feel. Under
UV light
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...
a fluorescent patch will appear showing "10", 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.
Commemorative editions
1990 commemorative banknote
The Reserve Bank issued a special edition of the ten-dollar note in 1990 to commemorate 150 years since the signing of the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...
in 1840. The front of the note was largely the same as the standard note, but to the right of the portrait of Kate Sheppard is a red circle with a
kōtuku (white heron) with the year "1990" underneath the circle. This was the logo of the 1990 Commission which organised the commemorative celebrations. The back of the note shows the Treaty being signed. To the right, the note reads "New Zealand 1990 commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi 1840". The note is made of cotton and uses dark and light blue colours.
1999–2000 polymer banknote millennium
The Reserve Bank issued another special edition of the note in 1999 to celebrate the new millennium in New Zealand. Unlike the standard ten-dollar note, it does not feature a portrait. It depicts instead a Māori
waka
Waka may refer to:
Culture and language
* Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand
** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe
** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe
** Waka taua, a Māori w ...
on the front and the words, "The dawn of a new era lights the way for New Zealand's perpetual voyage of innovation and discovery". On the back, it includes images of surfers, sky-divers, canoes and a mountain skier, along with the words "Celebrating New Zealand's free spirit & quest for adventure in the new millennium".
It featured blue and purple colours with some yellow, and folding the note while looking through the transparent window reveals "Y2K". Over three million of these notes were issued into general circulation, and the Reserve Bank began withdrawing them in 2002. They are now collectors' items and as of 2020 can sell for as much as NZ$88.
References
{{Suffrage
Ten dollar Note
Ten-base-unit banknotes
Cultural depictions of Elizabeth II
Cultural depictions of Kate Sheppard