New Zealand one hundred-dollar note

The New Zealand one-hundred-dollar note was issued on May 3, 1999. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand issued the polymer note because it will last four times longer than its counterpart, the paper banknote. The Bank also said the notes are non-porous, meaning they don't absorb liquids and are therefore much cleaner. The notes have much better features than the paper notes which also deters counterfeiters.[1]

One hundred dollars
(New Zealand)
Value100 New Zealand dollars
Width155 mm
Height74 mm
Security featuresWindow, Shadow image
Material usedPolymer
Years of printing1999–present[1]
Obverse
DesignThe Lord Rutherford of Nelson
Design dateMay, 2016[2]
Reverse
Designmohua/yellowhead
Design dateMay, 2016

Design

On the front is The Lord Rutherford of Nelson, who is "The Father of the Atom". Current understanding of the atom is based on Lord Rutherford's discoveries. To the left is the Nobel Prize Rutherford won in 1908. On the back is a mōhua or yellowhead and the moth Declana egregia, both found in the South Island. The background is the Eglinton Valley, which is in Fiordland National Park in the South Island.[3]

First issue (1967 to 1981)

The $100 note replaced the similarly coloured £50 note from the pre-decimal series. The front portrays Queen Elizabeth II. The back portrays the takahē. The note was elaborately printed and was done by Thomas De La Rue and Sons. The Queens wears the Tiara of Queen Mary and King George V's necklace and looks very regal.

The $100 note saw little use due to its high value; in terms of December 2018 dollars, it had the purchasing power equivalent to around $1,800 in July 1967, and around $395 in December 1981. By March 1982, only 121,000 $100 notes were in circulation.[4]

Second issue (1982 to 1990)

This note had the same designs as the first $100, except the Queen had the updated portrait with a smaller Tiara and more flatter hair. the note had a more Vermillion colour and softer colours and lines. It was printed at Bradbury Wilkinson's Whangarei Plant. There are notes signed Hardie (1981 - 1984) and Brash (1989 - 1990). But no notes of Spencer Russell (1985 - 1988) were issued.

Third issue (1992 to 1999)

The third issue of the $100 saw a design update. This note had Lord Rutherford of Nelson (Sir Ernest Rutherford 1874 - 1937) on the front with a Nobel Prize medal and a scientific graph on the front. The number 100 was in bigger guilloched numerals and a gold coloured strip on it. The Queen was in the watermark.

On the back was the Mohua which replaced the Takahe on the earlier note. the bird had a yellowish design. The note was Paper and printed in Canada like all Third type (Series E in Peppiat and Bertrand) notes.[5]

As with previous banknotes, no more than a few million were printed and the denomination still saw limited use, meaning unlike the lower value notes, most survived the period in good condition. They were viewed with suspicion as New Zealand allowed more liberal gaming laws in the 1990s and many of these notes were laundered at the Christchurch and Auckland casinos along with being currency recovered in drug dealing raids and many forgeries also occurred from time to time.

To date, ATM's in New Zealand have never dispensed $100 notes of any series (They have only dealt out $50s in the past few years). You can only get them at banks and pretty much in the casinos, currency exchange bureaux and high end shops.

Fourth issue (1999 to 2016)

The note was similar to the third series, except it was on Polymer and the designs are stronger and bolder. the denomination numbers were solid colour and the watermark still showed the Queen. The first notes came out in November 1999 and are still currently legal.

Despite still being viewed with suspicion, some 5 million notes were printed between 1999 and 2010 (I have seen notes with Brash and Wheeler signatures, but none with Bollard (Mid 2000s). By 2005, a $100 note was worth about $3.50 in 1967 dollars.

The note was superseded by the new series in 2016, but given the very slow roll out of the new currency and the durability of polymer, some 70% of all $100's in current use are still likely to be these.

Fifth issue (2016 to present)

The note was made brighter.[6]

Security features

The polymer note has a watermark of Elizabeth II on the right side. There are two transparent windows with images of a fern, on the left and on the right. When held up to the light the window will show a "100" in its center, and images of ferns printed on each side will line up perfectly. When the note is put under ultraviolet light a yellow patch should appear with the number "100" through the use of fluorescent dyes.[7]

References
  1. "New Zealand's banknotes". Reserve Bank of New Zealand. 1999-05-03. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  2. Reserve Bank of New Zealand
  3. "Explaining New Zealand's Currency" (PDF). Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-30. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  4. "Bank notes in the hands of the public - F3 - Reserve Bank of New Zealand". www.rbnz.govt.nz. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  5. Bertrand 2018
  6. https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/notes-and-coins/notes/banknotes-in-circulation
  7. "The New Polymer Bank Notes" (PDF). Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
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