This might also explain why the Kiwi emergency number is 111 as a counterpoint to the UK's 999. Interesting!
I stand corrected then!
Pedantic tidbit of archaic lore: this was so because each digit was represented by the number of clicks that the rotating disc triggered on the line (with 10 clicks for 0).
If the dial was locked or missing, you could still "dial" a number by quickly tapping it with the on-hook switch the receiver would rest on, because that was the same effect the rotary dial mechanism was producing