The new Kiwi banknotes released by the Reserve Bank last week have brought a mixed response.
Personally, I'm all for them. They're brightly coloured and each denomination looks distinctly different from the others. Which is a key thing for travellers - in fact, it's pretty much the only thing. I've spent a bit of time in the United States over the past few months and, like many visitors over there, when handling the American currency I find it hard to tell one denomination from the next.
It's a difficulty heightened by the fact that on any visit to the States you're dipping into your pocket every few minutes to pass some fella a buck for opening a door at just the moment you happened to be walking by. Oh, I see the barman has done his job and put a beer in front of me, I'd better put a dollar in front of him, too.
And after a couple of those beers, it's pretty easy to hand a taxi driver a $100 tip when you'd meant to give them $1. You wouldn't even know you'd done it until you went fishing for the hundy the next day. "Wow, we must have spent more than we thought."
Bright, and distinct colours will go a long way toward avoiding currency confusion.
