150 Dollars - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - Taniwha

The taniwha of Māori tradition occupied a genuinely ambiguous role — sometimes guardian, sometimes predator, always a force demanding acknowledgment from those passing through its territory. New Zealand's broader commemorative gold program in this period leaned heavily on indigenous cosmology, partly in response to formal Treaty of Waitangi partnership obligations that had reshaped how Crown institutions represented national identity from the 1980s onward.

At 155.5 grams of .9999 fine gold, this is a five-ounce piece — a format the Reserve Bank used selectively for prestige issues with strictly limited mintages.