Lower Hutt police have found the mother of a newborn whose body was discovered in the backyard of a property in Taita.
The body of the girl was wrapped in a towel and found by a woman at the back of her Taita Drive home on Monday morning.
Police believe the baby was less than 24 hours old when she died.
Inspector Shane Cotter says the mother, aged in her early 20s, gave birth alone and is in hospital being treated for complications.
Mr Cotter says inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the birth are continuing.
A post-mortem will be carried out on the baby on Wednesday to determine if the baby was alive at the time of her birth.
