Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 20 Cents 1999-2006, KM# 118, New Zealand, Elizabeth II
  • 20 Cents 1999-2006, KM# 118, New Zealand, Elizabeth II
Obverse

Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley

NEW ZEALAND ELIZABETH II
IRB
2006

Reverse

Depicts a reproduction of a specific carving of an 18th-century Māori warrior leader called Pukaki, who was a Rangatira (Chief) of the Ngāti Whakaue, a Māori iwi of New Zealand. The tribe lives in the Rotorua district and descends from the Arawa waka. The carving was made in 1836 and today it can be viewed in the entrance of the Rotorua District Council.

Pukaki was expertly crafted by Te Taupua of Ngati Whakaue from one large piece of totara timber, originating from the Ngongotaha Stream. The carving commemorates Ngati Whakaue's conquest of Pukeroa-Oruawhata. Pukaki is depicted holding his two warrior sons Wharengaro and Rangitakuku, while between his legs can still be seen the remnants of his wife Ngapuia. In the 1850s, Pukaki was brought down and his lower portion removed, thus transforming him from a gateway to a statue (tiki). He then stood upon the principal marae within Ohinemutu beside the Tama te Kapua meeting house.

Engraver: Robert Maurice Conly

20

Edge

20 Cents

4th portrait
KM# 118
Characteristics
Material Cupronickel
Weight 11.31 g
Diameter 28.58 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Royal Australian Mint (RAM)
Royal Mint

Related coins

2nd portrait

Cupronickel, 11.31 g, ⌀ 28.58 mm
4th portrait

Nickel Plated Steel, 4 g, ⌀ 21.75 mm