When I was at boarding school in the 70's, we had the tuck shop open on Thursdays and Sundays. We were allowed to spend 5 pence on Thursday and 7 pence on Sunday! Sums so small today that I don't think you could buy anything, much less several days worth of sweets.

Even in ~1990 one of the corner dairies here was selling lollies for 2.5 cents each. On Fridays Mum would give my brother and me 50c each, which got us plenty!

I saw something on the herald website - must have been a picture from the day it came in- looked like a guy handing over $2 for a taxi ride. In 1967, that $2 would have got you a very long trip in a taxi i'd have thought.

Behodar:

 

Even in ~1990 one of the corner dairies here was selling lollies for 2.5 cents each. On Fridays Mum would give my brother and me 50c each, which got us plenty!

 

My first pocket money was thruppence a week.  That would buy either one large gobstopper, a small bag of lollies, or a large ice cream.

By 1967 as an occasional treat, I'd be given $0.20 (2/-) to buy lunch.  That would buy a mince pie and milkshake at the store next to the school, or a longer trip to the nearest fish and chip shop for a piece of fish and a scoop of chips.  Made sure to walk slowly back to school if you had chips, arriving back with an entire scoop intact, you'd find you had many friends you never thought you had.

According to RBNZ inflation calculator, that's $3.37 in today's money.

Edit:

To be fair, the "mince" pies consisted of grey gravy substance with occasional lumps of chewy gristle, sometimes there'd be a pea or orange piece of what was probably vegetable matter.  The "milk shake" was milk (subsidised cost 4d a pint) - with a very small blob of chocolate syrup, whipped up in the mixer.  IIRC you had to drink this at the shop out of the aluminium mixer cup - they charged extra for a waxed paper cup, which wasn't possible as it blew my 2 shilling budget.

I remember DC day well.  I was on the 5 to 11 shift at the old Post Office telecom and one of the techs brought in one of each coin and bank note for us to see.

It was interesting that people for months later when people were trying to sell something they  priced it in pounds (sounds less) like cars and house etc  but when they were buying something offering jobs  the salary was always in $, (sounds more) .  I seem to remember that the Gov made a cut off date  to prevent the old currency being advertized forever..

old3eyes:

 

I seem to remember that the Gov made a cut off date  to prevent the old currency being advertized forever..

 

I wonder why the old imperial measurements still survive today but the pounds don't? The metric system was only introduced few years later than NZ$. I still get very confused when somebody mentions their kid was n pounds or is n feet tall...

eph:

 

old3eyes:

 

I seem to remember that the Gov made a cut off date  to prevent the old currency being advertized forever..

 

 

I wonder why the old imperial measurements still survive today but the pounds don't? The metric system was only introduced few years later than NZ$. I still get very confused when somebody mentions their kid was n pounds or is n feet tall...

 

The only time I use imperial measurements is for screen sized in inches..

old3eyes:

 

eph:

 

old3eyes:

 

I seem to remember that the Gov made a cut off date  to prevent the old currency being advertized forever..

 

 

I wonder why the old imperial measurements still survive today but the pounds don't? The metric system was only introduced few years later than NZ$. I still get very confused when somebody mentions their kid was n pounds or is n feet tall...

 

 

The only time I use imperial measurements is for screen sized in inches..

 

Or in clichés - Its miles away, give him an inch and he'll take a mile, penny for your thoughts, penny wise pound foolish, penny pinching, inching towards the line, six feet under, furlongs per fortnight, etc.

old3eyes:

 

 

 

The only time I use imperial measurements is for screen sized in inches..

 

Widely used in boating stuff, due to the dominance of American market in recreational boating.  PITA.

In the 1950's my brother and I would be packed off to the kids' matinee movies in the Plimmerton Pavillion on a Saturday afternoon, with 1/- each:  9d for the movie ticket and 3d for lollies from the nearby dairy.

BlueShift:

 

old3eyes:

 

eph:

 

old3eyes:

 

I seem to remember that the Gov made a cut off date  to prevent the old currency being advertized forever..

 

 

I wonder why the old imperial measurements still survive today but the pounds don't? The metric system was only introduced few years later than NZ$. I still get very confused when somebody mentions their kid was n pounds or is n feet tall...

 

 

The only time I use imperial measurements is for screen sized in inches..

 

 

Or in clichés - Its miles away, give him an inch and he'll take a mile, penny for your thoughts, penny wise pound foolish, penny pinching, inching towards the line, six feet under, furlongs per fortnight, etc.

 

Bra sizes, gun calibres/gauges, car wheel sizes, weight of newborns, units for gold and precious metals, flight altitudes, navigation units (otoh other valid reasons for that), pressure in PSI, many engineering supplies still sold in imperial measures, photo/frame sizes, etc etc...

I remember on the 9th of July I could go to the shop and get 12 lollies for a shilling at 1 penny each. The following day I could only get 10 for my shilling now worth 10 cents. That's my first experience of inflation caused by the switch to decimal currency. Inflation only seemed to accelerate from then on.

geek4me:

 

I remember on the 9th of July I could go to the shop and get 12 lollies for a shilling at 1 penny each. The following day I could only get 10 for my shilling now worth 10 cents. That's my first experience of inflation caused by the switch to decimal currency. Inflation only seemed to accelerate from then on.

 

Yes - totally ripped.

Arbuckle - the local dairy owner - had a wry smile on his dial. We kids probably ended up paying for his new decimal currency cash register.

old3eyes:

 

 

 

The only time I use imperial measurements is for screen sized in inches..

 

Wheels, speakers, other things where they are a set size based on the legacy measurements are best described in those measurements since it is a whole number (ish) - know one knows the actual size of their 6 inch midrange and 12 inch woofer unless you are making the box for them.