Designed by George Kruger Gray, the coin's reverse features the New Zealand coat of arms surrounded by Māori wood carvings.

Large amounts of the devalued Australian currency began to flood into New Zealand, eventually making up 30–40% of all coinage in circulation by early 1933.

Reverse designs were a matter of collaboration between the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, headed by Deputy Master Robert Johnson, and the New Zealand government.

Both were based on the coat of arms of New Zealand, but the Advisory Committee strongly preferred Kruger Gray's rendering, only requiring minor modifications to the text positioning.

In July 1933, Coates appointed a Coinage Design Committee, composed of various local artists alongside members of the New Zealand Numismatic Society.

This was considered unacceptable to Kruger Gray, who wrote that there was "far too much in it to make this possible and even if it were done the result would be most unsatisfactory from both the artistic and practical points of view.

"[13] Coates ultimately approved Kruger Gray's design in August, due to the pressing shortage of high denomination silver coinage.

Throughout November, Coates attempted to push the Coinage Act, 1933 through Parliament, retroactively authorising their production and assigning the coins as legal tender.

[18] Considerable religious opposition emerged to the coin's omission of Dei Gratia and Fidei Defensor from the King's listed titles.

Treasury Secretary Alexander Park relayed to the press that the omission was approved by the King, with the titles having been removed on the coinage of all dominions except Australia.

British politician John Sandeman Allen raised the issue to the New Zealand Parliament while visiting in late 1934, but no action was taken to modify the titles.

[20] By August 1936, the New Zealand Numismatic Society began pursuing the creation of commemorative coinage to be issued for the hundredth anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi, seen as a centennial for the country itself.

[22] From late August 1938 to the end of September, a competition was held for the design of the commemorative half-crown, as well as for the proposed penny and halfpenny denominations.