Mother figures – facts for Mother's Day 2010

To celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday 9 May, Statistics New Zealand is releasing some facts of interest.

• On Mother’s Day in 2009, 139 babies were born to 137 mothers. Of these mothers, 76 were first-time mothers.
• Births registration data for 2009 showed that 62,020 mothers gave birth to 62,930 babies (32,310 boys and 30,620 girls). There are usually slightly more boys born than girls.
• A total of 31,860 women became mothers for the first time in 2009, and they gave birth to 32,310 children.
• The median age of all mothers giving birth in 2009 was 30 years, compared with 26 years in 1979.
• The median age of first-time mothers in 2009 was 28 years.
• A total of 887 mothers gave birth to twins or triplets in 2009, compared with 523 mothers in 1979. Twins were born to 430 first-time mothers, and another 11 new mothers had triplets.
• In 2009, 161 mothers who gave birth to twins or triplets already had at least two other children.
• Mothers having multiple births tend to be older. While just under half (49 percent) of mothers who had single births in 2009 were aged 30 or over, for multiple births this proportion rose to almost three-fifths (58 percent).
• In 2009, the top five names for baby girls were Sophie, Ruby, Olivia, Isabella, and Ella. The top five boys’ names were Jack, Oliver, James, Joshua, and William. The top 100 babies’ names are available from the Department of Internal Affairs website.
• The average weight of babies born over the last decade was 7lb 11oz (3.5 kg).
• Families with children numbered 641,529 at the time of the 2006 Census.

According to the New Zealand General Social Survey, 87 percent of all women assessed their general health as good, very good, or excellent. 

Geoff Bascand