Ten Cents (small), Coin Type from New Zealand - detailed information

The New Zealand ten-cent coin is currently the lowest denomination coin of the New Zealand Dollar. The earlier large ten-cent coin was introduced with the introduction of New Zealand Dollar currency on 10 July 1967, when it replaced the New Zealand shilling; the shilling - having exactly the same dimensions - remained legal tender and in parallel use.

On 31 July 2006, the new smaller 10 cent coin was released alongside the new 20 cent and 50 cent coins as part of the New Zealand Reserve Bank's "Change for the better" silver coin replacement, when the previous smallest denomination - the 5 cents - was demonetised, along with the larger versions of the newly introduced coins. The new 10 cent coins are made of steel, plated with copper. They are 20.5 mm in diameter and 3.30 grams in weight, and have unmilled (plain) edges.

The reverse preserves the iconic "koruru" design by Reginald George James Berry. Koruru feature particularly strongly at the apex of the gable of a large carved house that was symbolic of the face of an important Māori ancestor from that part of the country. This particular koruru was designed by Mr James Berry specifically for use on New Zealand currency and is representative of designs from various regions.

The old (large) 10 cent coins, as well as the shilling coins which had been re-denominated as 10 cents, were demonetised on 1 November 2006.