Births were down 2% for the 12 months to June, largely as a result of fewer babies being born in the Auckland region.
Statistics New Zealand figures show that from June 2008 till June 2009 there were 1,050 fewer births in Auckland than the year before.
In the 12-month period to June 2009, 62,000 births were registered, down 1,180 compared with the same periods previously.
The biggest drop was in the Auckland region.