20 Cents - Elizabeth II 4th portrait

Cook Islands transitioned to nickel-plated steel for its circulation coinage in the early 2000s, driven by the rising cost of cupronickel and the broader Pacific trend toward cheaper base-metal planchets. The fourth portrait of Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank-Broadley, had been in use on Commonwealth coinage since 1998 — by 2015 it was already approaching the end of its run before Jody Clark's effigy began replacing it across issuing authorities.