New Zealand fifty-cent coin
| New Zealand | |
| Value | 0.50 New Zealand dollars |
|---|---|
| Mass | 5.00 g |
| Diameter | 24.75 mm |
| Thickness | 1.70 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Composition | nickel-plated steel |
| Years of minting | 1967 - present |
| Catalog number | - |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand |
| Designer | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Design date | 1999 |
| Reverse | |
| Design | Captain Cook's HMS Endeavour near Mount Taranaki |
| Designer | Reginald George James Berry |
| Design date | 1967 |
The New Zealand fifty-cent coin is a coin of the New Zealand dollar. It was the largest by denomination, diameter and mass to have been introduced on the decimalisation of the currency on 10 July 1967, replacing the pre-decimal crown coin (five shillings).
On 31 July 2006, as part of a revision of New Zealand's coinage, the fifty cent was made smaller, lighter and of a cheaper alloy (nickel-plated steel). On 1 November of that year the previous larger fifty cent coin was demonetised.
Both the larger and smaller coin featured on its reverse the HMS Endeavour on which Captain Cook became the first Briton to reach New Zealand, in October 1769. The obverse, as per all New Zealand coins, features the reigning monarch, which throughout the coin's mintage has only been Queen Elizabeth II.
Following a 1959 committee, it was agreed in 1963 that New Zealand would use decimal currency. In 1964, the denominations, designs, weights and diameters of the coins were confirmed in the Decimal Currency Act. The decimal dollar replaced the New Zealand pound (pegged to the British pound) at the rate of two dollars per pound, thus a fifty-cent coin would be a continuation of a quarter of a pound. The pre-decimal version of a quarter of a pound was the Crown coin (five shillings) which throughout the British Empire was not widely used (the New Zealand crown was only issued in 1935, 1949 and 1953 with a total of 458,148 specimens). However, the fifty-cent retained the dimensions and composition of the Crown but with a different reverse image.
The original fifty-cent coin which circulated between 1967 and 2006 was made of cupro-nickel. At 31.75mm diameter and weighing 13.61g it is the largest coin issued of the dollar. The original included five sections of alternate milling - the current version is plain. From 1967 to 1985 all New Zealand coins featured Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Reginald James George Berry was selected to design the reverse of all of New Zealand's decimal coins, and his fifty cent's design featured the HMS Endeavour, the ship on which Captain Cook became the first Briton to reach New Zealand in October 1769. Mount Taranaki is seen in the distance and the legend ENDEAVOUR is written on the bottom. The design remains unchanged to the present day.
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