Salote Tupou III

Taufa'ahau Tupou IV

Coronation of H.M. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV

Coronation of H.M. King George Tupou V

85th Birthday of H.M. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV

75th Birthday of H.M. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV

70th Birthday of H.M. Queen Halaevalu Mata'aho

Millennium 2000 Silver Coin

Collector's Item

2015 Circulating Coin - Collector's Edition

H.M. King Tupou VI (2015 Series)

Circulation Coins - H.M. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV

Feel

1. The front of each banknote shows an engraving of the portrait of HM King Tupou V.

Look

2. When a banknote is held up to the light the watermark of HM King Tupou V is visible with a bright watermark reading NRBT.

3. You will also see that the pattern on the front is neatly filled in with the pattern on the back.

4. A 1.4mm thread featuring the letters NRBT is visible as silver dashes on the fronts of the $1, $2 and $5 denominations. When a banknote is held up to the light the thread is seen as a continuous line.

5. A 2.0mm thread featuring the letters NRBT is visible as silver dashes on the fronts of the $10, $20 and $50 denominations. When a banknote is tilted the colour of the thread changes from red to green and when it is held up to the light the thread is seen as a continuous line.

6. A window is visible in the centre of the $100 banknote. When held up to the light it appears as a continuous bold stripe with NRBT running along the borders.

Ultra Violet

7. When the $100 banknote is held under an ultra violet light it fluoresces yellow along the borders of the bold stripe on the back.

8,9. On the front 8 the pattern and 9 the vertical serial number also fluoresce.

A new family of currency is issued with a new portrait of His Majesty King Tupou VI. Our Banknotes also feature state of the art security technologies that make our banknotes secure to have and use. Here are some of the key security features to look out for:

1. Feel

The new banknotes have the characteristic raised print on areas such as the title "Kingdom of Tonga" and the note value.

2. Tilt

The shiny threads on the 2, 5, 10 and 20 pa'anga appear at intervals on the surface of the notes and change colour green to red when you tilt the note.

The thread on the 50 and 100 pa'anga shows as a window on the front of the note but as a more solid silver on the back of the note, showing the national medal.

3. Look

When you hold the note up to the light, you will see the watermark portrait of His Majesty the King together with a lighter area reading "NRBT".

Looking at the shiny threads on the 2, 5, 10 and 20 pa'anga when held up to the light, you will see that the text "NRBT" appear in the thread.

On the 50 and 100 pa'anga, there is a much wider silver thread that shows as a solid line together with images of the national medal when held up to the light. There is also a clear window visible in the centre of these 2 notes.

Resources

Download the official Security Feature Poster.

Get To Know Your New Banknotes & Coins | 872 KB

A new family of currency was launched in 2015 to commemorate the Coronation of their Majesties, King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u Tuku'aho. The new banknotes features His Majesty King Tupou VI on the obverse side and various historical landmarks on the reverse.

These banknotes are currently in circulation.

$100 Pa'anga

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI.
Back Design: The Vava’u Islands are one of the northern groups of Islands of Tonga. They are popular with tourists for sailing, watersports, whale watching, big game fishing and diving.

$50 Pa'anga

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI.
Back Design: Located in the capital, Nuku'alofa, the Royal Palace was built in 1867, primarily made of wood and is the official residence of the King of Tonga. Although the palace is not open to the public, it is easy visible from the waterfront.

$20 Pa'anga

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI.
Back Design: The National Reserve Bank of Tonga building appears on the back of the 20 Pa’anga. This building is located on Salote Road in Nuku’alofa. The foundation stone of the building was laid by King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV on 8th May 1993. The construction lasted around 15 months and His Majesty opened the new building on 21st April 1994.

$10 Pa'anga

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI.
Back Design: On the back of the 10 Pa’anga there is a view of the Royal Tomb at Mala’ekula, in the centre of Nuku’alofa. Monarchs of the current dynasty are buried at Mala’ekula. It is an elaborate and modern burial monument in white stone.

$5 Pa'anga

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI.
Back Design: The Ancient ‘Otu Langi are depicted on the back of the 5 Pa’anga. These are ancient royal burial tombs, normally in three or more tiered layers, are artificial hills surrounded by enormous slabs of coral rock.

$2 Pa'anga

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI.
Back Design: The image on the back of the 2 Pa’anga illustrates a Humpback whale. Whale watching is a popular tourist activity around the Island of Tonga. The Humpback whales migrate each year from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic to the warm, sheltered waters of Vava’u to mate and calf.

Other Banknotes in Circulation

The 2008 Banknotes Series (featuring the Late King of Tonga, His Majesty King George Tupou V) are also in circulation, except the $1 Pa'anga Banknotes.

Security Features

The new banknotes also features state of the art security technologies that are hard to copy but easy to recognize.

Please ensure you familiarize yourselves with these security features, so that you are able to check your banknotes if you are not so sure about their appearances. To learn more about these features, please visit our Security Features page.

Resources

Download a copy of the official New Banknotes & Coins brochure.

Get To Know Your New Banknotes & Coins Brochure | 1,165 KB

Issued in 2015 as part of the new family of currency launched to commemorate the Coronation of their Majesties, King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u Tuku'aho, were new coins, featuring items that are part of the proud history and culture of Tonga.

$1 Pa'anga

Front Design: Features the late King George Tupou V.
Back Design: Features the Coat of Arms. The three stars in the first quarter represent the three main groups of Islands in the Kingdom. The Kingdom itself is symbolized by the crown in the second quarter. The dove in the third quarter symbolizes Christianity and the swords in the last quarter symbolizes the three Royal dynasties. The white star and red cross in the centre of the shield are the national symbols. The motto: KO E 'OTUA MO TONGA KO HOKU TOFI'A can be translated as God and Tonga Are My Inheritance.

50 Seniti

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI
Back Design: Features the Milolua, a ceremonial kava-making dance performed for the King. The milolua is only performed by the daughter of nobility. The design for the 50 seniti coin features the milolua performed by Her Royal Highness Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku’aho, daughter of His Majesty King Tupou VI.

20 Seniti

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI
Back Design: Features the Kalia, a voyaging canoe unique to Tonga. The shape of its double hulls and large sail enables the Kalia to reach great speed on the open seas. Historically, the kalia was used for navigating the open seas but islanders now adapt it to transport people, food, livestock and crop materials.

10 Seniti

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI
Back Design: Features the Malau (Megapodius Pritchardii) which is the world’s smallest megapode and one of the rarest birds in the world. It is the only surviving megapode in Polynesia and is only to be found under the forest canopy on the Island of Niuafo’ou. The malau is on the international conservation lists as a critically-endangered species.

5 Seniti

Front Design: Features His Majesty King Tupou VI
Back Design: Features the Heilala (Garcinia sessilis) which is Tonga’s national flower. It is associated with royalty and has a special status in Tongan culture. It is used to make the kahoa garland that is presented to the King, and an auspicious garland presented to a girl on her 21st birthday. Each year in July, Tongans hold the week-long Heilala Festival to celebrate the flowering of the heilala flower.

Other Coins in Circulation

All coins issued prior to 2014 were recalled and there should be no other coins in circulation apart from the coins depicted above.

Resources

Download a copy of the official New Banknotes & Coins brochure.

Get To Know Your New Banknotes & Coins Brochure | 1,165 KB

Safe keeping our banknotes benefit us all. Banknotes is very important for our trading. Banknotes reflect the image of our country and they are part of our cultural heritage. To conserve them in good condition helps safeguard the image of Tonga.

The following precautions will help to prolong the lives of banknotes and maintain ideal characteristics for keeping them in circulation.

Keep your banknotes straight to help them last longer. Folding and crumpling damages the banknotes and reduces their lifespan. If possible, keep banknotes in wallet and purses. Wallets and purses prevent banknotes from being damaged and also help in keeping them clean.
Do not apply cellotape or glue on any banknotes under any circumstances. Applying cellotape or glue on banknotes damages them and also destroys the look and feel. Also, do not stamp, staple, cut or pin any banknotes under any circumstances.
Store banknotes and coins in cool and dry places. Water, moisture, chemical product, excessive heat and dirt will damage the banknotes and coins. Do not hide coins at home. If you hide them away, the country will be short of coins to use.
	Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to make a complete banknote out of any pieces of banknotes. Return them to the Reserve Bank for exchange as soon as possible. Also exchange soiled and worn-out banknotes and coins with new mint currency from the Reserve Bank.

Defacement of Currency Banknotes

Part V, Section 23 of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga Act states:

- No person shall, without the authority of the Bank, deface any currency by means of any writing, printing, erasing, stamp or mark. - Any person contravening the provisions of this section shall be guilty of any offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or imprisonment for not exceeding 5 years or both.

Pound

The Pound was the first currency of Tonga - initially British Currency circulated until 1967.

Pa'anga

April 3rd, 1967 - The Pound was replaced by the Pa'anga at a rate of 1 Pound = 2 Pa'anga.

The National Reserve Bank of Tonga is responsible for ensuring that there is an adequate supply of high-quality banknotes and coins in circulation to meet the public's currency needs. The Reserve Bank is also responsible for withdrawing damaged or unusable notes and coins to manage the quality of currency in circulation. The country's banknotes are printed on cotton fibre material and various security features are incorporated, which are difficult to copy but easy to recognise. All currency notes of the Kingdom are printed by De La Rue Currency in the United Kingdom and the coins are manufactured by the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra.

> Go to De La Rue website | > Go to Royal Australian Mint website