Banknote signatures
Between 1940 to 1984, banknotes were signed by the Chief Cashier. The Chief Cashier's Department provided banking services to the government, acted as banker to the trading banks and managed the bank's currency operations.
Banknote signatories
Governor
Leslie Lefeaux
Leslie Lefeaux arrived in New Zealand in 1934 to become the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Before this appointment, he was Assistant to the Governors at the Bank of England. His signature appears on the first issue of Reserve Bank notes. He completed his term of office in 1940, and returned to England in 1946. Mr Lefeaux died in 1962.
Chief Cashiers
TP Hanna
TP Hanna joined the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 1934 and set up the Chief Cashier's Department. Mr Hanna's signature appeared on the first permanent issue of Reserve Bank notes in 1940, which replaced the temporary issue of 1934 banknotes. He retired in 1953 and died on 12 March 1978.
Gilbert Wilson
Gilbert Wilson joined the Reserve Bank in 1935. He became the second person to hold the position of Chief Cashier. Mr Wilson held the position for 3 years before becoming Deputy Governor in 1956. Mr Wilson retired in 1967 and died on 29 March 1994.
Neal Fleming
In 1934, Neal Fleming was recruited to become one of the first staff members of the Reserve Bank. He became the third Chief Cashier in 1956 and remained in the position for 11 years. In the mid 1960s, he was a member of the Decimal Currency Board. The board was responsible for the replacement of the old currency with decimal. Mr Fleming's signature appears on the first dollar note issue. He died on 22 August 1975.
Dick L Wilks
Mr Wilks joined the Reserve Bank in 1950. He was appointed Chief Cashier in 1967. He held this position for 6 years before becoming Executive Adviser to the Bank in 1973. In 1977, Mr Wilks was appointed Deputy Governor, and in February 1982 was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank. Mr Wilks died on 18 December 1985.
Lindsay Knight
Lindsay Knight was appointed Chief Cashier of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 1973. In 1965, Mr Knight was appointed Deputy Chief Economist, then he became Deputy Chief Cashier in 1967. He held this position for four years before becoming Assistant Governor in 1977. Mr Knight retired in 1990 and died on 6 March 2002.
Ray Hardie
Ray Hardie was appointed Chief Cashier of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 1977. While he held the position, he was involved with the transfer of note printing from the British printer, De La Rue, to Bradbury Wilkinson and Company (NZ) Limited in Whangarei. He was the last Chief Cashier whose signature appeared on our banknotes. Mr Hardie retired in 1984 and died on 2 June 2000.
Governors
Spencer T Russell
Sir Spencer Thomas Russell was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand on 18 May 1984. He previously held the position of Director and Chief Executive of the National Bank of New Zealand, having spent his commercial banking career there. Sir Russell retired in 1988 and died in July 1995.
Donald T Brash
Dr Donald Brash was appointed as Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 1988. He resigned as Governor in 2002 to stand as a list candidate for Member of Parliament in the general election held that year. Dr Brash also worked at the World Bank, Broadbank/Fletcher Challenge, the New Zealand Kiwifruit Authority, and the Trust Bank group.
Alan E Bollard
Dr Alan Bollard was appointed as Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in September 2002. In 2012, he became the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat based in Singapore. Dr Bollard has written several books on the New Zealand economy, and helped rebuild the Phillips hydraulic, economic simulation model, the MONIAC.
Graeme Wheeler
Graeme Wheeler was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in September 2012. Previously, he was employed at the World Bank from 1997 until 2010. Mr Wheeler also worked at the New Zealand Treasury as Deputy Secretary and Treasurer of the Debt Management Office (1993 to 1997).
Grant Spencer
Grant Spencer was appointed as Acting Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in October 2017 to hold the Governor role for 6 months. Mr Spencer stepped into the Governor’s position from his previous role as Deputy Governor/Head of Financial Stability.
Adrian Orr
Adrian Orr was first appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in March 2018. He has been reappointed for a second 5-year term effective from March 2023. Previously, Mr Orr was Chief Executive Officer at the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. Before that he was Deputy Governor and Head of Financial Stability for the Reserve Bank.
