The first baby to be born to a New Zealand prime minister holding office is still keeping the world guessing when it will arrive.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford arrived at Auckland City Hospital around 6am this morning, four days after her June 17 due date.
Ardern is in a birthing suite on the 9th floor of Auckland Hospital, the same level floor as her office in the Beehive.
Today is the shortest day of the year, known as the winter solstice. If baby is born today, it would also coincide with Matariki, the Māori New Year.
Many took to twitter talking to this.
Morgan Godfrey tweeted “Jacinda and Clarke’s baby is going to be a Matariki (Māori New Year Baby”
Marion Rosner tweeted "… A Matariki baby. Exciting!"
If baby arrives it would also share a birthday with Prince William and the late Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was the first world leader to have a baby while in power.
An Auckland DHB spokesperson says the average length of stay for a woman giving birth in the hospital is 2.3 days and that last year 6974 babies were born at Auckland Hospital.
An Auckland City Hospital worker also told Te Kāea despite the excitement around the PM being on premises it was “business as usual”.
Many people have sent well wishes for Ardern and Gayford online, both locally and from around the world.
Te Kāea will provide updates as the story develops.
Read more on this topic:
PM arrives at hospital to deliver baby
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/pm-arrives-hospital-deliver-baby
Well-wishes flow as PM goes into labour
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/well-wishes-flow-pm-goes-labour