A 30 year old Samoan woman gave birth to a baby on a plane from Samoa to New Zealand. The baby was found by cleaners after the plane landed. It was in the toilet rubbish. The mother was found waiting at immigration because she had lost her passport. Her clothes had blood on them. She and the baby were taken to hospital where she had an operation. Doctors said it had been a difficult birth and she needed medical care. The baby is fine.

The Pacific Blue plane trip took four hours from Apia, Samoa to Auckland, New Zealand with 150 passengers on board. The plane was a 156-seater so it was nearly full. It is surprising that no one noticed what was happening. It is also surprising that airline staff in Samoa did not realise that the woman was pregnant so did not ask her when the baby was due. Usually pregnant women do not travel by plane after they are 36 weeks. Perhaps she was a big woman and did not look pregnant. Many Samoans are big. Or perhaps the woman did not realise that she was pregnant. This sometimes happens. It is very sad to think of a woman giving birth on her own in a toilet.

She had a visa to work here as a seasonal worker, picking fruit. The airline, Pacific Blue, has offered to bring her relatives to New Zealand to support her.