By LOUISA CLEAVE and NZPA
Tonga has claimed the first millennium baby.
The Pacific kingdom pipped New Zealand to the post by switching to daylight saving time at the end of last year, allowing it to see in the new millennium an hour earlier.
The first to midnight claim is not being contested
by the New Zealand Millennium Office.
"We've never said we were the first to midnight and never made a big deal about the first baby," said manager Sharon van Gulik.
The Tongan baby, Kala Sosefina Mileniume Kauvaka, was born at 12.06 am (11.06 pm NZT) to Senituli Kauvaka and Ngaloa'afe Kaufaka of Fahefa.
Midwife Fine Matoto at the Vaiola Hospital, in Nuku'alofa, said the girl was in good health and active.
The birth happened naturally and very spontaneously, she said.
Andy Haden, the agent acting for the parents of the New Zealand's first-born, Tuatahi Manaakitunga Edwards, said they would not be concerned by the Tongan claim.
"If it is, it is," he said. "All the parents are hoping for is a good healthy baby to take home from the hospital."
Mr Haden said he had received about 50 calls yesterday from media after the Herald reported that the family had hired him to negotiate a deal for their story.
"They may do a deal with a magazine and probably now they will have to," he said.
While it was estimated the Edwards family could make more than $1 million in media interviews and endorsements, the parents of Kala have already received $2000.
The Royal Nuku'alofa Club gave them the money for the millennium delivery and president Karl Riechelmann said the baby's details had been sent to the Guinness Book of Records.
It was "an absolute fact" Kala was the first millennium baby, he said.
Meanwhile, the Millennium Office in Wellington claimed that more than two billion viewers around the world watched New Zealand segments of the millennium-day broadcast.
The office did not say how it had arrived at the figure but said the level of international exposure was unprecedented for this country.
Towards 2000 Taskforce chairman David Beatson said being the first country in the world to see the dawning of the millennium gave New Zealand a starring role in the coverage.
