This ¼ oz gold proof coin portrays the beginning of New Zealand’s involvement overseas during the First World War, and shows the difficulty of families being separated by war.

Reverse: This 1oz silver proof coin portrays the official announcement of New Zealand’s declaration of war. When Great Britain declared war on Germany, New Zealand was drawn into the fray by virtue of still being a part of the British Empire. The design shows the announcement of war by the Governor on the steps of the General Assembly Library, now known as the Parliamentary Library, as Parliament had burned down in 1907. The foreground features an eager paperboy selling the day’s big headline – war had been declared.

Obverse: Depicts the inscriptions ‘NEW ZEALAND’, ‘ELIZABETH II’ and the date, ’2014′ around the Ian Rank Broadley profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.