A snapshot of reactions to the new bank notes in October.

Reaction to New Zealand's new $5 and $10 banknotes has been positive, although they may be a little too bright for some.

The new notes are in public circulation from Monday, although we may not get to see them for some weeks.



"I like them a lot, I like the colours and I like the people on them," said Oscar Henfrey when asked in Auckland.



Catherine L'Estrange said having the amount on the bottom of the note made it difficult to read them.



"The number placed at the top of the note is very helpful when it's in your wallet and you're trying to work out which note to give a retailer."

To Teeghan Lokeni, the notes looked like play money. "The colours are too bright."

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The Reserve Bank distributes banknotes only when it receives orders from banks, which meant the notes would not be released into circulation all at once.



"Orders for replacement of $5 and $10 notes come in less frequently than other denominations as they tend to circulate much more between retailers and consumers," Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) head of currency Brian Hayr said.



He said more orders were expected to come in from retail banks over the next few months as they gradually replace old notes. The old notes will remain legal tender.

"Approximately 345,000 of the [new] banknotes have been dispatched to banks to meet their orders. This compares with about 45,000,000 [existing] $5 and $10 notes currently in circulation," Hayr said.

1 of 10 RBNZ Back of the new $5 note. 2 of 10 RBNZ NZ's new $5 note. 3 of 10 RBNZ New $10 note. 4 of 10 RBNZ Back of the new $10 note. 5 of 10 RBNZ New $20 note. 6 of 10 RBNZ Back of the new $20 note. 7 of 10 RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND/SUPPLIED New $50 bank note. 8 of 10 RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND/SUPPLIED Back of the new $50 note. 9 of 10 RBNZ New $100 note. 10 of 10 RBNZ The new bank notes have better security feaures, the RB says.

The new notes still feature Edmund Hillary and Kate Sheppard but include more Maori designs and have "Te Putea Matua", the Maori name for the Reserve Bank, printed on them.

The rest of the new notes, in $20, $50 and $100 denominations, will be released in April.

All of the notes feature the same security features to protect against counterfeiting.