For the first time in his life, Lochlan Prestidge has two hands.

Born with a right hand and a stump ending just below his left elbow, the 10-year-old Hawera lad has only just begun to experience how useful a second hand can be.

At this point, it is often a hinderance more than a help but the new 3D printed hand that straps over his stump and is complete with flexing fingers, is opening his eyes to a world of possibilities.

Petra Finer Hawera's Lochlan Prestidge, 10, is learning to use his new 3D printed left hand. The mechanisms that open and close the fingers work with movement of the elbow.

"I bend my elbow and then the fingers (flex)," he said.

"I wanted to see what it felt like. It's the same length as my other arm."

So far, Lochlan has focused on learning to pick up empty cups and boxes. Gifted freely to Lochlan through Idea Beans Ltd, his red and black digits may be replaced with a more advanced model in a few months.

"I sort of broke a glass cup trying to lift it up...," he said.

"I'll be the first kid in New Zealand to get a new design."

Lochlan discovered the company providing free artificial limbs when he saw a TV documentary about a little girl that had benefited from the same service.

A mould was made using the stump on Lochlan's left arm and a hand developed slightly bigger than needed to allow for growth.

"The guy that designed the iron man suit designed this," Lochlan said.

Lochlan's family found out he was missing a hand while his mother Claire was pregnant.

"They've never been able to give us a reason why he was born without a hand," she said.

"Out of the five boys I've got, he was the only one that climbed out of a cot... there are a few things he can't do but he usually finds a way around it."

The biggest problems are tying his shoelaces, climbing ladders and hanging off the monkey bars.

"There's not a heck of a lot he doesn't try."

Prestidge said the fact that a free surgery-free option was available for Lochlan was very special because any surgical measures would be both painful and complicated.

"I don't want to have surgery because it will hurt," he explained.

"Plus, I could never take it off."