Money in NZ and Japan③

3.In NZ
In New Zealand, the money is often informally known as the “Kiwi dollar”, and it also circulates in the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands. At present, there are 5 kinds of coins; 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2. 10c is copper, 20c and 50c are silver, $1and $2 are gold. The color of the coin is the same as Japanese coins. 1c, 2c and 5c circulated before, but value of money was low, so 1c and 2c were abolished in 1990, and 5c was abolished in 2006.
All coins’ obverse depict a portrait of Elizabeth Ⅱ, and reverse depicts a design that is symbolic of New Zealand. The design of 10c features a Mori Koruru. It is the sculpture that decorates rafters in assembly houses of Maori called “Koruru”. The image has a threatening expression to thrusti out the enemy with the tongue. 20c depicts a Maori carving of Pukaki, a chief of the Ngati whakaue Iwi. The word iwi means ‘people’ or ‘folk’. 50c depicts James Cook’s HM bark Endeavour. James Cook sailed from Britain with the Ende boa in 1768, spent several months via Tahiti, and rediscovered New Zealand in 1769, where he declared the ground as a British territory. $1 depicts Kiwi and Silver Fern. Kiwi is a New Zealand bird that has very short wings and cannot fly, and can be seen at Auckland Zoo. New Zealand is a treasure house of ferns, and a silver white color leaf was mysteriously targeted in the belief of the Maori person. The uniform of All Blacks and New Zealand goods carry the logo that designs the leaf of the silver fern as a trademark and symbol of the identity of "New Zealand". $2 depicts Kotutu (Great Egret), which is an appearance of the white heron that flies toward the right. The white heron is called Kotutu among the aborigine Maori people, and is an important bird in the myth transmitted between them. In Japan, it is not a rare bird, but there is a proverb of the Maori, "It is as unusual as a Kotuku", so in New Zealand, it is a rare bird.
In New Zealand, there are 5 kinds of banknotes; $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. These are very beautiful colors; orange, blue, green, purple and pink. All banknotes depicted historical characters of New Zealand and native birds.
The 5 dollars bill’s obverse depicts Edmound Hillary. He was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. He became the first climber known to have reached the summit of Mt. Everest. The reverse depicts a Yellow-eyed Penguin. It is a penguin native to New Zealand. The 10 dollar’s obverse depicts Kate Sheppard who was the most prominent member of New Zealand’s women’s suffrage movement, and is the country’s most famous suffragette. Because New Zealand was the first country to introduce universal suffrage, her work had a considerable impact on women’s suffrage movements in other countries. In New Zealand, a lot of women including Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ have made society advance, and there were a lot of woman bus driver. 10 dollar’s reverse depicts a Blue Duck that the Maori name is Whio, which is an onomatopoetic rendition of the males’ call. The 20 dollar’s reverse depicts Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ who is Queen of New Zealand. The reverse depicts Karearea that is a kind of falcon, and it inhabits in New Zealand. The 50 dollar’s obverse depicts Apirana Nqata who was a prominent New Zealand politician and lawyer. He has often been described as the foremost Maori politician to have ever served in Parliament, and is also known for his work in promoting and protecting Maori culture and language. The reverse depicts the Kokako that is a forest bird which is endemic to New Zealand. It is slate-grey with a black mask and wattles. The 100 dollar’s obverse depicts Lord Rutherford of Nelson. He was a New Zealand physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908. The reveres depicts Mohua that is a small insectivorous, passerine bird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.
As to the quality of New Zealand banknotes, since 1999, they have been produced as paper, but now New Zealand banknotes are made by polymer. The polymer banknotes have many advantages. For example, they cannot be photocopied, the real thing can be recognized by touch, they go through the washing machine with no ill effects, and they cannot tear easily.