The Reserve Bank of Fiji has rolled out the island nation’s newest coins, all made in Canada. The new coins, in values of 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents as well as $1 and $2, are made using the Royal Canadian Mint’s plating process. The coins, for the most part, feature local flora and fauna. The $2 coin replaces the $2 bank-note. The Government of Fiji approved eliminating the note in favour of the coin in 2011. That year it also approved the new coin designs, which are the first Fijian coins to not feature an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. In recent years, Fiji has eliminated both the 1- and 2-cent coins. At the same time, new banknotes in values of $2 to $100 also feature flora and fauna, in place of Queen Elizabeth II, who appeared in the earlier series.
The new notes were printed by De La Rue Currency, an international security printer based in Britain. Fiji originally issued coins based on the Fijian pound, converting to a decimal system in 1969. At that time, Fiji was still classified as a colony. It became a dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. While it was not a member of Commonwealth of Nations from 1990 to 1996, it still issued coins and notes with the Queen’s effigy. In 2009 Fiji, was suspended from the Commonwealth after Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama refused to hold elections demanded by the Commonwealth after a 2006 coup.