NZD - New Zealand Dollar

Introduced in 1840, the New Zealand Pound was the first official currency of New Zealand. Until that point, both British and Australian coins circulated in New Zealand, and continued to do so until 1897. The Pound banknotes were produced by the six different trading banks until 1924, when a single uniform design was implemented. A decade later, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand was established.

The idea of decimalization was first raised in 1933, but was not put into place until 1967, when the New Zealand Dollar replaced the New Zealand Pound. There was much public discussion over what the new currency would be called, with ideas such as 'kiwi' and 'zeal' being proposed, but in the end, the term 'dollar' was chosen. The New Zealand Dollar was initially pegged to the US Dollar at a rate of 1.62 USD to 1 NZD. The peg rate changed multiple times until 1985, when the currency began to freely float in the market. In 1999, a new design for the New Zealand Dollar was released in an attempt to modernize, with the new bills being made of polymer. Since 2006, there have been no coins under the value of five cents and the value of cash transactions are rounded.