Although she was one of 2017's first babies, newborn Illa Kingi was in "no rush" to enter the world.
As others around the country were heralding in the New Year this morning, Paeroa couple Tommy Kingi and Verbena Nikora-Young were welcoming their long-awaited daughter at Hawke's Bay Hospital.
The couple had been waiting more than a week, after Ms Nikora-Young's due date of December 23, before she went into labour yesterday.
However the wait was still not over even after she was admitted to Hawke's Bay Hospital just before 9am yesterday.
It was more than 15 hours later, at 12.31am this morning, that the couple finally welcomed their daughter, Illa Mei Rose Nikora Young Kingi.