Story: Coins and banknotes

Fifth series of banknotes: $10 (2nd of 5)

Fifth series of banknotes: $10

The fifth-series $10 banknote, which is blue and green, features women's suffrage campaigner Kate Sheppard and a white camellia flower (symbolising the suffrage campaign) on the obverse side. The tukutuku design behind Sheppard is variously known as Mangaroa (the Milky Way) and Purapura Whetū, with the stars representing navigation or the people of New Zealand. It is based on panels on the wharenui Te Hau ki Tūranga, which was built in the early 1840s by Raharuhi Rukupō of Rongowhakaata and restored under the supervision of Apirana Ngata in 1935. It is now on display at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington. The main features of the reverse side are the whio (blue duck), the Fiordland parahebe and the kiokio fern.

From 1999, a sixth series of banknotes (pictured above) were made from polymer (plastic) instead of paper. This allowed the introduction of a suite of new security features, including micro-printing, a shadow image of Queen Elizabeth II, and transparent windows.

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Reserve Bank of New Zealand

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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/object/36412/fifth-series-of-banknotes-10 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 20 Jun 2012