It might seem to casual observers, particularly older casual observers, of New Zealand bank notes that many different images of the Queen have been used on them over the years.
In reality, according to the Reserve Bank, there's just been four different images ever of Queen Elizabeth on NZ bank notes, while there have been five different images on the 'heads' side of our coins.
This is outlined in a special Bulletin article by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to mark the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen.
The article, by Robert Pepping and Martin Purdy and edited by Peter Northcote notes that various portraits of the Queen have appeared on the banknotes of more than 30 countries around the world.
"Over the years, New Zealand’s banknotes have depicted the Queen consistent with her age as is her preference. Before a portrait of the Queen can be featured on a banknote, her approval must be sought and given for both the portrait and how it is worked into the note design. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet manages this process on behalf of the Reserve Bank," the article says.
"Although an image of the Queen has graced the ‘heads’ side of New Zealand’s coins since 1953, she did not appear on our banknotes until the introduction of decimal currency in 1967 when the Reserve Bank issued its third series of banknotes. Her portrait has also appeared in each series following: Series 4, 1981; Series 5, 1991; Series 6, 1999, and Series 7, 2015."
In 1992 the decision was made incorporate more New Zealand content on the banknotes.
"When explaining the removal of the Queen’s portrait from four of the five denominations, the Reserve Bank Governor, Dr Don Brash, stressed that the first decision of the selection committee had been to retain an image of the Queen of one of the five denominations, with the $20 banknote selected as the most frequently used note at that time. The two lowest banknote denominations, $1 and $2, were replaced by coins with this series."
The Queen’s portrait on the $20 note of the most recent series was based on a photograph taken in 2011 in the Blue Room of Buckingham Palace by London-based photographer Julian Calder.
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