Americans Mackie All and Greg Black combined their surnames to give baby Lachlan a name that's a winner in New Zealand. Photo / Brett Phibbs
She may be an "All-Black", but a baby's links to rugby stardom are no help in paying an unexpected bill of more than $12,000 for her health care.
Four-month-old Lachlan All-Black's double-barrelled name, bestowed by her American parents, has given her an early sporting pedigree.
But mum Mackie All and
dad Greg Black are calling time-out on the bill for her seven days of intensive care.
Ms All said Lachlan's name would be unremarkable in the US, but had excited interest in New Zealand.
"It's such a cool thing. Everybody thinks it's really fun."
Dr Black said they had always intended to name their daughter All-Black, "even before we realised there's a rugby royalty in this country".
Lachlan has some All Blacks baby clothes, complete with silver fern, and Dr Black said he was "coming around" to enjoying rugby.
But the couple's headache is paying the $12,039 for Lachlan's stay and treatment at the Auckland District Health Board's neonatal intensive care unit.
She was born by emergency caesarean at Whangarei Hospital on January 22 and flown to Auckland because of oxygen deprivation. Her parents say she is thriving now.
The couple came to New Zealand last July for one year while Dr Black worked at Whangarei Hospital as a senior registrar.
He is qualified in the US as a paediatrician and internal medicine specialist, and will train as an asthma and allergy specialist when the family return home in two months.
Dr Black said Whangarei Hospital waived fees associated with the birth because he was an employee.
But health and social workers told the couple wrongly that they would not have to pay for Lachlan's Auckland hospital stay.
They took out insurance but it covered pregnancy complications - which Lachlan's case was deemed to be - only up to 28 weeks' gestation.
Dr Black said that because of the cost of returning to the US, setting up a new home and paying existing US bills, they could not afford to pay the $231 a week demanded by the health board.
Once they were re-established in the States, they would be able to pay much more than that.
Ms All said they wanted to pay the bill. "We got wonderful care. We just want to be able to pay what we can afford right now."
The health board said it was having positive discussions with the couple.
