The New Zealand five-cent coin was the lowest denomination coin of the New Zealand dollar from 1990 to 2006. The five-cent coin was introduced when the New Zealand dollar was introduced on 10 July 1967, replacing the New Zealand sixpence coin, which - having exactly the same dimensions - remained legal tender and in parallel use.
Coins issued in 1979 were in mint sets only (not intended for circulation); any that were released would have circulated for 27 years before they were demonetised on 1 November 2006. |
| Reverse |
The last surviving member of an otherwise extinct family of reptiles, the tuatara (a lizard-like reptile), native only to New Zealand, is shown sitting on a coastal rock. Above in the background, a gull flying. Below, the denomination 5 [cents]. The designer's initials, JB (for [Reginald George] James Berry) are to the left of the lizard's tail. |