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Coin specifications and images by denomination

All our coins feature the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the front (obverse), and New Zealand imagery on the back (reverse).

Back of 10c coin

10 cent

The back of the 10 cent coin features a Māori carved mask, or koruru with Māori rafter patterns.

Composition: Copper coated plated steel
Weight (g): 3.3
Diameter (mm): 20.5
Thickness (mm): 1.58

 

The 10 cent coin features an image of a koruru, the carved face on the gable of a meeting house. James Berry designed this koruru as a part of the 1967 decimal coin series.

20 cent

The back of the 20 cent coin features a Māori carving of Pūkaki.

Learn more about the story of Pūkaki

Composition: Plated steel
Weight (g): 4
Diameter (mm): 21.75
Thickness (mm): 1.56

The 20 cent coin features an image of a carving of Pūkaki. The carving was expertly crafted in 1836 by Te Tuapua of Ngāti Whakaue, from tōtara from the Ngongotahā Stream. The carving was made to remember Pūkaki, a very important Te Arawa ancestor.
Back of 50c coin


50 cent

The back of the 50 cent coin features Captain Cook's ship Endeavour sailing south with Mt Taranaki in the background.

Composition: Plated steel
Weight (g): 5
Diameter (mm): 24.75
Thickness (mm): 1.70
Captain Cook used the Endeavour ship in his first of 3 voyages to New Zealand. The ship would have passed Taranaki in early 1770.
Back of $1coin

 

$1

The 1 dollar coin features 2 of Aotearoa New Zealand’s national symbols: the kiwi (apteryx spp) and ponga/silver fern (cyathea dealbata).

Composition: Aluminium-bronze
Weight (g): 8
Diameter (mm): 23
Thickness (mm): 2.74
 Kiwi are a flightless bird and are native to Aotearoa. The silver fern is a common tree fern, with a trunk up to around 12m tall.
Back of $2 coin

 

$2

The front of the $2 coin features the Kotuku/White heron (Egretta alba modesta).

Composition: Aluminium-bronze
Weight (g): 10
Diameter (mm): 26.5
Thickness (mm): 2.7

Kotuku are rare and were once highly valued for their ornamental feathers. You may spot them at coastal freshwater wetlands or estuaries.

Use our online coin interactive

Learn more about what New Zealand coins look like, and their unique designs.

Use our interactive