Maori themes on New Zealand coins

Started by <k>, February 05, 2023, 02:13:57 PM

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<k>



New Zealand, half penny, 1965.

Design by L. C. Mitchell.


A Hei-tiki (ornamental Māori pendant) with Māori ornamental scrolls on each side.
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<k>



Image © Coin News (UK) / Token Publishing.


Pattern New Zealand 3 pence of 1933.

It features a hei-tiki.

The design was by George Kruger-Gray of the Royal Mint (UK).
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<k>




A pattern New Zealand shilling of 1933, as designed by George-Kruger Gray.

It includes Maori motifs.

Image courtesy of PCGS The Standard for the Rare Coin Industry.
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<k>


The issued New Zealand shilling depicted a Maori warrior in a ceremonial pose.
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<k>

#4


New Zealand, 3 pence, 1935.  Maori war clubs.


The clubs on the 3d are called "wahaika". 

They are often incorrectly referred to as "patu".

The patu is a different sort of war club.
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<k>

#5
New Zealand half crown 1948.jpg

The reverse of the New Zealand half crown.

It depicted the national coat of arms within a Māori ornamental design.
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<k>

#6


The first New Zealand 10 cents coin featured a koruru.

A koruru is a carving of an ancestral human face.

It is also known as a gable mask.


Koruru are architectural features on large whare tupuna or wharenui (meeting houses).

They join the two front facing maihi  (barge boards) at the top apex..



The word "SHILLING" was removed from the coin from 1970 onwards.
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<k>

#7


New Zealand, 20 cents, 1990.  Round.


From New Zealand numismatist Martin Purdy:

The figure on the 20c is called Pūkaki. It is an important ancestral figure to tribes in the Rotorua area. Apparently there hadn't been enough consultation before the 1990 coin was issued, which led to only a small number being released initially, with the balance being stockpiled for a decade or so. The later gold Pūkaki $10 coin was part of a settlement deal with the tribe.
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<k>



New Zealand, 20 cents, 2006.  Spanish flower shape.
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<k>





The reverse of the New Zealand 2 dollar coin.

It features a kotuku, also known as a white heron and a great egret.

The bird is surrounded by a Maori motif.
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<k>

#10



The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Maori chiefs.

For some reason, the New Zealanders chose to commemorate this event on a crown dated 1935.


New Zealand numismatist Martin Purdy tells me:

The 1935 coin isn't an early centennial piece. From memory it marked the handing over by Governor-General Bledisloe of the Waitangi treaty grounds to the people of NZ. Let me find some more refs on that for you. The then New Zealand Numismatic Society had been lobbying for a crown piece since 1933 so it was late rather than early.


From Wikipedia:

General Bledisloe also contributed to improved Pākehā–Māori relations, purchasing the site where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed and presenting it to the nation as a memorial. In 1934, the site was dedicated as a national reserve. The dedication ceremony attracted thousands of people, both Māori and Pākehā. Bledisloe continued to take an interest in the site even after his term expired and he returned to England.
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<k>

#11


New Zealand, $1, 1990.  Waitangi.


This was a silver collector coin.

It was also made as a copper-nickel collector coin.

Neither coin circulated.
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<k>




In 1940 New Zealand issued a special half crown.

It commemorated the centenary of the signing of the Waitangi Treaty.

Apparently this was the world's only commemorative half crown.


The reverse design was the work of L C Mitchell.

It depicted a Maori princess against a modern urban background.
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<k>




New Zealand's final crown coin was minted in 1953.

It celebrated the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

It featured a Maori carving beneath a crowned royal cypher.

Surrounding the design was a starred southern cross.
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See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.