In an increasingly cashless society - accentuated during the Covid-19 crisis - the days when "cash was king" are fading.
That's why a significant event on this day 53 years ago will go largely unnoticed and, yet, it was on Monday July 10, 1967 that New Zealand embraced decimal currency.
It was a big deal back then.
The wonderful encyclopaedia of New Zealand notes (no pun intended):
"The notes – the first New Zealand paper money to show the reigning monarch – were kept under wraps until June 1967 to thwart counterfeiters.
"In the weeks before 10 July, $112 million worth of the new notes and $8 million in coins was delivered to trading banks around the country by secret trains carrying Reserve Bank, police and army personnel.
"The new $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and $100 banknotes each had different native birds and plants on the reverse, and were distinguishable by colour.
"The new coins were in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents."
For our parents and grandparents who had grown up with pounds, shillings and pence a generational change saw us grapple with the "new" dollar and cents. It was exciting for us at primary school as the new notes and coins filtered through the community. Crisp, clean colourful notes and glistening coins. For kids it was bold new age.
That continued as we moved through adolescence and adulthood.
To be fair there was always something special about having cash in the wallet especially if you were lucky enough to be handed some new notes when you went to the bank.
Many will also remember the days of getting your pay (i.e. cash) in small (very small) square brown envelopes that were hardly the most ideal way of ensuring savings were at a premium. In fact the term of "living from payday to payday" was probably penned for those days.
I've attached an image of the original $100 note because I rarely saw one.
In fact I wondered at one stage if they existed. The myth of the beautiful crimson $100 note was, however, dispelled in a fundraiser at the rugby club.
Along with another reserve grade player we were given the responsibility of selling $2 tickets for the chance of winning the elusive $100 note.
It was a reasonable fundraiser (100 tickets at $2 for a profit of .... you guessed it $100) and given the fact we'd mislaid the "pig in the barrow" (it didn't pay to leave a superbly dressed, as in butchered, pig and the brand new wheelbarrow outside certain drinking establishments in Whangarei during the early eighties) the previous Friday it was full-proof.
Mind you it paid to have a winner.
* It should be noted that a $50 note was introduced in 1981, and in 1990 the $1 and $2 notes were replaced by coins.
(Image courtesy - teara.govt.nz)
