The first babies of 2009 were born to proud parents from Auckland and Central Otago.
Max Arthur Honey was born in North Shore Hospital at 12.07am on Thursday, weighing 8 pounds 14.5 ounces, or four kilos.
His parents Rachel Salt and Jeff Honey live in Beachaven in Auckland.
Ms Salt said Max, her first baby, was due on 23 December.
"We were texting our friends and joking that it was going to be our quietist New Year in years," she said, "and it didn't turn out that way."
At 12.12am in Dunedin Hospital, first time mother Nicky Meissel from Wanaka gave birth to a baby boy. He weighed about 6-and-a-half pounds, or nearly three kilos.
Ms Meissel said both her family and her partner's family are happy the baby was born on 1 January.
"We were kind of hoping not to have that auspicious title but baby organised it differently so we'll just roll with it I think," she said.
Nicky Meissel said she and her partner will rest for a couple of days before heading back to Wanaka.
