Get to know the NZ five dollar note

The distinctive brown and orange New Zealand five dollar note is a classic piece of cash. Found in the back pockets, wallets, and money boxes of children around the country, it can buy you a mince pie or a cafe hot chocolate - hopefully with some change to spare! For those that are curious about cash - let’s discover the many features of the fiver…

The front of the note features the portrait of Sir Edmund Hillary, an incredible Kiwi mountaineer who, along with Tenzing Sherpa, were the first people to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Sir Ed has appeared on the note since 1992.

The flip side of the note has the stunning Mount Cook / Aoraki, our nation’s highest mountain. Situated in the South Island, it was one of Sir Ed’s earliest climbs and favorite peak.

You will also find the cute little yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho on the fiver. One of the world's rarest penguins, they are native only to New Zealand and can be found in the South Island, and on Stewart, Campbell and the Auckland Islands. Campbell Island features heavily, with a scene from the island depicted as well as the yellow Ross lily and the pink and purple Campbell Island daisy.

This far-away island is the most southern of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands (a whooping 600 kilometres southeast of Stewart Island!) and has a healthy population of yellow-eyed penguin.

The Kaokao pattern used on the note symbolises the strength of the Māori meeting house and mountains. Kia ora