When will the new notes start circulating?
$5 and $10 notes will start circulating from October 2015. However, it might be a while before you get your hands on a new note. This is because $5 and $10 notes don’t get banked as often, so take longer to go through our cash processing system. $20s, $50s and $100s are targeted from April 2016.
What differences will we notice in the new notes?
The new notes have a brighter, clearer design, with the note's value shown in larger print and greater colour contrast between notes. Some things will stay the same, though: the notes will stay the same size as they are now, and will still have the same flexible, plastic feel.
The themes of the notes will also remain the same, with the same respected New Zealanders, the Queen, and flora and fauna remaining central to the designs. The contribution each has made to the unique culture of New Zealand is still as important as ever. To enhance this even further, the new notes use te reo Māori to identify them:
Aotearoa – the Māori name for New Zealand
Te Pūtea Matua – the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Māori name
The names of the native birds on the reverse of the notes (hoiho, whio, kārearea, kōkako, mohua) will continue to be written in Māori.
What are the new security features?
A key feature of the new banknotes is that the security elements are even easier for you to identify. Several are brand new, and we've also enhanced some existing ones:
A larger window features a more detailed metallic element
The native bird icon changes colour as the note is tilted, and a bar can be seen moving through the space
A small ‘puzzle number’ lines up when the note is held up to the light
Raised ink is still used on the large denomination number.
Information about these new note issues from - http://www.brightermoney.co.nz/
