Catalog
50 Dollars
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999-2014 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1967-date) |
| 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 | Intaglio portrait of Sir Apirana Ngata at centre right against a red-violet guilloche underprint, with a vignette of a Māori meeting house (wharenui) at centre left set against warm amber tones and an outline map of New Zealand. The large numeral '50' appears at lower left and lower right, with the Governor's facsimile signature below the bank title at upper centre, and a clear polymer window with an embossed oval at right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Brash Bollard 2004 Wheeler 2014 |
| 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.