Soon after winning the International Banknote Society’s Banknote of the Year Award for its $5 Edmund Hillary note, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand announced that the remaining notes in its new “Brighter Money” Series 7 are now in circulation. The May 16 statement said that about 300,000 of the $20, $50 and $100 notes were sent to banks for distribution. They join the Edmund Hillary note and the $10 note, which have both been in circulation since October.

The bank describes the new notes as having a brighter, clearer design, with their value in larger print and greater color contrast between notes. 

The themes and major features of the notes are the same as their predecessors, with the same respected New Zealanders, the queen, and flora and fauna remaining central to the designs. The new notes make more use of the Maori language including “Aotearoa,” the Maori name for New Zealand, and “Te Putea Matua,” the name of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in that language. The names of the native birds on the backs are also in Maori: hoiho, whio, karearea, kokako and mohua.

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