| Country | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Value | 5NZD |
| Width | 135 mm |
| Height | 69 mm |
| Material used | Polymer |
| Years of printing | 1967–present |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | SirEdmund Hillary |
| Design date | 1992 (original design) October 2015 (current design) |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Hoiho,Campbell Island |
| Design date | 1992 (original design) October 2015 (current design) |
TheNew Zealand five-dollar note is aNew Zealand banknote. It is issued by theReserve Bank of New Zealand and since 1999 has been apolymer banknote. It was first issued on 10 July 1967 when New Zealanddecimalised its currency, changing from theNew Zealand pound to theNew Zealand dollar. The note originally had an image of Queen Elizabeth II on the front; since 1992 it has had an image of SirEdmund Hillary.[1][2] The new design released in October 2015 was named "Banknote of the Year" by theInternational Bank Note Society for 2015.[3]
There have been seven different series of New Zealand banknotes, and the five-dollar note was introduced with the third series of banknote.[1]
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 includedAlexander McLintock,Stewart Bell Maclennan and Professor John Simpson, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at theUniversity of Canterbury.[4]
All the notes of this series had Queen Elizabeth II on the front, and a watermark of CaptainJames Cook. They also had a New Zealand bird and the plant most closely associated with that species on the back. The five-dollar note featured atūī perched on akōwhai tree.[4]
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.[1][4]
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.[4] The explorer SirEdmund Hillary was depicted on the front of the five-dollar note, withAoraki / Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand at 12,316 feet (3,754 m), shown on the left hand side. Hillary was one of the first two individuals known to have reached the summit ofMount Everest, and the first to have been to theSouth Pole, theNorth Pole and the summit of Everest. One of theFerguson 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.[4][5]
The back of the note featured a scene fromCampbell Island which is south ofStewart Island / Rakiura. The penguin shown on the note is thehoiho (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.[2] The Queen featured on a watermark.[4] The design also featured atukutuku pattern known as kaokao that is found at the Tane-Nui-A-Rangi meeting house at Waipapa Marae at theUniversity of Auckland.[2][6]
In 1999, New Zealand changed from paper banknotes topolymer banknotes. The change increased the life of the banknotes and also allowed new and improved security features to preventcounterfeiting. The overall design of the notes remained unchanged albeit for slight modifications for the new security features.[1]
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.[7]
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 theMāori translation of Reserve Bank (Te Putea Matua), and "New Zealand, Aotearoa" on the back.[4] 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.[8]
The note was named "Banknote of the Year" by theInternational Bank Note Society for 2015.[3] 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."[9]Geoff Bascand, the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, said the award was "testament to the hard work and innovation by the Bank and its partners that has gone into developing the note."[10]
New Zealand's banknotes incorporate many security features to preventcounterfeiting. The newer polymer banknotes have a distinctive plastic feel and should not tear easily.[11]
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 andkoru 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 ofElizabeth II is displayed. There isintaglio printing through the note which gives it an embossed feel. UnderUV light 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.[12]