Story: Coins and banknotes

Operation Overlander (1st of 3)

In 1963 the government announced that New Zealand would switch to decimal currency on 10 July 1967. Once the denominations and designs were decided, the production process began, culminating in the delivery of the new currency to banks throughout New Zealand, which disbursed the coins and banknotes to customers. Dubbed 'Operation Overlander', this was carried out between April and June 1967. The National Film Unit produced a playful film about the delivery, complete with a jaunty soundtrack. This shows some of the groups involved in the delivery and outlines the huge volume of new currency offloaded to banks.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
Reference: Pictorial Parade 194. National Film Unit, 1967

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How to cite this page:

Kerryn Pollock, 'Coins and banknotes - Decimal currency, 1960s to 2000s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/36398/operation-overlander (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 20 Jun 2012