Mum who gave birth on plane wanted to deliver at Te Matatini, hid labour from crew, claims family

• A woman who gave birth on an Air New Zealand flight planned to give birth at Te Matatini, relatives have claimed.
• They say their family member was in labour for 12 hours before boarding the flight, which she hid from Air NZ staff.
• Posts on the mum’s social media account show her at Te Matatini with her newborn girl.

The woman who gave birth on an Air New Zealand flight was in labour for 12 hours before take-off and planned to give birth at Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga, a relative claims.

The shocking revelations come from family members of the mother, who told the Herald she has four other children not in her custody.

The pregnant woman gave birth to a girl on Wednesday onboard a 55-minute flight from Auckland to New Plymouth.

The aunt told the Herald her niece was posting on Facebook after the birth, bragging that she went into labour at 3am on Wednesday.

“I wasn’t telling them that though,” the mother wrote in a post about not being honest with the air crew.

Another relative, who wished to stay anonymous, said she flew from Christchurch and missed her original direct flight to New Plymouth, so was forced to get on another flight with a layover in Auckland.

Her aunt claimed she had planned to have her baby at Te Matatini but did not know why. She said she believes she did it to “get attention”.

“Why would you put your child’s health at risk, the birth of your baby at risk, by doing that stunt? I just don’t know.”

Posts on the mum’s social media showed her at Te Matatini with her newborn girl, walking around and enjoying the performances. Her aunt confirmed she was not a part of a group that was performing.

An Air NZ spokesperson said its crew and other customers onboard acted quickly and showed “real manaakitanga”.

“We thank everyone who helped and wish the customer well.”

Air NZ would not comment further, citing privacy.

The mother has been approached for comment.

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.

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