to the present day. New Zealand adopted decimal currency on 10 July 1967 and $5,000,000 worth of fifty-cent coins were issued that year. The large amount meant that no further minting occurred until 1971-the longest wait for a second year of production for any of the original decimal coins. In 1986 the portrait of the Queen was changed to the version by Raphael Maklouf which had been introduced to the coins of the pound sterling in the previous year. This portrait remained on the obverse until the current version by Ian Rank-Broadley was introduced in 1999. However, no 50-cent coins were minted for the years 1989 to 2000. Smaller coin In 2006, New Zealand revised its coinage. The fifty-cent coin was altered due to its size being larger than most of the world's coins, and therefore being an inconvenience to the public. In 2004, 51% of the public when asked by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand if they supported reducing size of coins agreed to the changes, and the rate grew to 66% when it was revealed that it would save taxpayers' money. The alloy was changed to nickel-plated steel, which saved 25% of minting costs and the edge was smoothed. The changes were brought about as the fifty cent had once been the pre-decimal crown which had a higher buying power. The immediate production of the smaller coin was a face value of NZ$35.1 million (70.2 million coins) and entered circulation on 31 July 2006 alongside the larger coin. The larger coin was withdrawn from circulation on 1 November 2006. Future After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, the Reserve Bank said it would exhaust its existing coin stocks before introducing new coins featuring King Charles III. Based on current stock levels, this would likely be several years away. Commemoratives In 1969, to mark the bicentennial of Endeavours arrival to New Zealand, a commemorative version of the fifty cent with the Machin portrait was produced with an inscription on its edge. Since no regular fifty cent coins were issued in 1969 the coin is rare. Estimated mintage; 100,000. In 1994, a bimetallic coin of fifty cents was issued to mark the 225th anniversary of Endeavours arrival. The coin featured the Maklouf portrait and is New Zealand's only ever bimetallic coin. In 2003 six coins with the Rank-Broadley portrait were released, with images of characters from