Amber Lyn Evans, weighing 3.41kg, was the first baby born yesterday at Queen Mary Maternity Centre in Dunedin Hospital.
Her arrival at 6.12am was a surprise to her mother, Coco Evans, who was told to expect her daughter on New Year's Eve.
However, her husband, Gareth Evans, was prepared for a Christmas arrival and had stocked a nursery in their Abbotsford home.
''I didn't expect it but Gareth always believed we were going to have a Christmas baby,'' Mrs Evans said.
''We're ready. We've got the bassinet, we've got the crib, we've got the clothes. We've been halfway around Dunedin buying stuff for the last three months.''
The baby clothes Mr Evans bought included ''cheesy'' Christmas-themed apparel.
The couple met on an internet dating site in 2012 when Mrs Evans was living in Shanghai.
The arrival of their daughter, their first child, was the greatest Christmas gift the couple had ever received, Mr Evans said.
