1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait, Shield of Arms

New Zealand decimalized on 10 July 1967 — a date the government branded "Decimal Day" — replacing the pound sterling system that had been in place since colonization. The decision was partly driven by Australia's concurrent decimalization, and the two countries coordinated closely to avoid cross-border confusion. This dollar was the flagship coin of that transition, the largest denomination in everyday circulation.

The second portrait of Elizabeth II, by Arnold Machin, replaced the Mary Gillick effigy used on pre-decimal coinage. Machin's version had already been adopted across much of the Commonwealth by this point.