Halfpenny 1940, Coin from New Zealand - detailed information

Bare head of King George VI facing left; around, the monarch's legend GEORGE VI KING EMPEROR; below the neck truncation in small letters are the artist's initials HP (for [Thomas] Humphrey Paget).

At centre, between two Māori scroll designs, a tiki (Māori carved figure); around, NEW ZEALAND HALF PENNY; below, the date 1940.

Annual Report of the Deputy Master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint, 1939, p. 5.:

"To commemorate the centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 by which the native chiefs ceded the sovereignty of New Zealand to the British Crown, the New Zealand Government authorised the issue of a half-crown of special design. This occasion was also marked by the issue of penny and halfpenny coins to complete the series of New Zealand coins of distinctive design."