Cook Islands government, rather than for release into circulation. In 2015, as part of a coinage reform, new coins were minted by the Royal Australian Mint. The new coins carry similar designs to the older ones with the 10-, 20-, and 50-cents struck in nickel-plated steel, while the 1-, 2-, and 5-dollar coins are struck in brass-plated steel. The new 5-dollar coin features a traditional vaka (a type of canoe) instead of a conch. The cents are smaller than previous issues with closer size and weight to the current coins of New Zealand while the new dollars continue to have their distinctive shapes. On 30 April 2016, all previous coins lost legal tender status and were withdrawn from circulation. The obverse of all coins of the Cook Islands depict Queen Elizabeth II; she was Head of State of the Realm of New Zealand. The reverse of standard issue coins are as depicts: The Cook Islands also issue a large number of commemorative non-circulating collectors' coins featuring an almost endless array of themes, as the government has a contract in which a coin design can be commissioned and minted with the name "Cook Islands" and dollar units for a fee, making coinage a resource for extra revenue. Due to exchange schemes involving large stocks of non-circulating commemorative coins, mintages are regulated and not recognized or accepted as legal tender within the Cook Islands. Banknotes On 20 July 1987, 3-, 10-, and 20-dollar notes were introduced by the government, followed by 50-dollar notes as part of a new series of notes in 1992. The notes all bear images of items, events, and panorama relevant to native Polynesian culture. In June 1995, the government of the Cook Islands began exchanging all of the larger banknotes for New Zealand currency, but the 3-dollar note and all coins remain in use. In 2015, the Cook Islands Ministry of Finance and Economic Management sold its final stocks of Cook Islands banknotes by tender. On 4 August 2021, the Cook Islands Ministry of Finance and Economic Management issued a new 3-dollar banknote, being printed on polymer. See also Economy of the Cook Islands New Zealand dollar Niue dollar Pitcairn Islands dollar References Sources External links Circulating currencies Currencies of Oceania Currencies of the Commonwealth of Nations Currencies of the Cook Islands Dollar Fixed exchange rate Currencies introduced in 1972