Relevant offers
She was a week later than expected - but when she arrived, she chose an historic day to do so.
New Zealand's population ticked over to 4,444,444 today according to Statistics New Zealand.
Although pinning down that historic accolade to one indivdual is impossible even for our masters of statistical data, proud parents Dottie and Winston Mapusua can claim their new baby girl helped hit the magic symmetrical milestone.
The eight pound girl - yet to be named - was born at 6.41am at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital.
A baby was the most likely person to tip the population to 4,444,444 as new births were responsible for most of our population growth, Statistics NZ population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said.
The Mapusuas' baby was due on the 25th but she arrived naturally after a 12-hour labour.
''We didn't expect it, but this little one is a special baby,'' her dad said.
She is the couple's eighth child, and is sure to be spoilt by her two sisters and five brothers.
Her parents are unsure whether they will name her something which symbolises her special birthday.
The milestone puts New Zealand's population close to that of Ireland or Croatia, Blackburn said.
"These types of landmarks are quite rare. Our population hit 3,333,333 in the mid-1980s and based on our projections we probably won't get to 5,555,555 for another 30 years.
"It will also pass quite quickly. The population is currently growing by roughly 100 people every day.''
The population estimate is based on births, deaths, and migration since the census in 2006.
Statistics NZ counts every person in the country in the Census of Population and Dwellings, which will take place in March 2013 after being delayed by the Christchurch earthquake.
"It will be extremely interesting next year with the census to get new information on the location and composition of our population across the nation," Blackburn said.
- © Fairfax NZ News
