In 2006 the 5-cent coin was withdrawn from circulation because it cost more to produce than it was worth. By then, New Zealand's coins were among the largest and heaviest in the world, so the 10, 20 and 50-cent pieces were made smaller and lighter as both a cost-cutting and modernisation exercise. The newer coins (at left) are made from plated steel – the old coins were cupro-nickel.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
New Zealand Herald
Reference:
200206NZHMMCOINS4.JPG
Photograph by Mark Mitchell
Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou