Catalog
50 Dollars
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999-2014 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Dollars |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a nature study in blue-green tones, centring on a Kōkako (Callaeas wilsoni) perched among foliage against the backdrop of Pureora Forest Park, with a vignette of the sky-blue mushroom Entoloma hochstetteri at lower right. The denomination 'FIFTY' and the word 'KOKAKO' appear in bold lettering, and the overall colour palette transitions from deep teal to soft grey-green across the guilloche underprint. |
| Reverse lettering | NEW ZEALAND FIFTY KOKAKO |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
New Zealand was an early adopter of polymer substrate, switching from paper across the entire note range during 1999 — the same year the country's banknotes were redesigned with new color coding and security upgrades produced by Note Printing Australia, the same Melbourne facility responsible for Australia's own polymer rollout. The $50 sits at the upper end of everyday transaction denominations and consequently accumulated significant wear in circulation; polymer's durability made this denomination notably more cost-effective to issue than its paper predecessors, and that was explicitly part of the Reserve Bank's justification for the transition.
Three different governor signatures appear across the series lifespan: Brash, Bollard from 2004, and Wheeler from 2014 — each replacement requiring a new print run rather than a simple overprint.