After incubating for about 78 days, the first chick of the season hatched on September 21. Weighing 338 grams, the chick emerged with one white eyebrow, which is unusual but not unheard of. It is not yet known if it is male or female as kiwi do not have any “external features” to help provide that information — so feather DNA testing is the only way to know for sure.
Hatchery kaimahi (staff) are asking the public for help with the momentous task of naming the chick. The winning suggestion will receive a family pass to the hatchery. Details of the competition are on the National Kiwi Hatchery Facebook page.
The hatchery is a leader in kiwi husbandry, egg incubation systems, hatching techniques and kiwi chick-rearing. Each year it incubates and hatches around 100 kiwi chicks, with 125 hatched last season. Of those 125 chicks, only six would have survived if they had been left in the wild.
Visitors to the hatchery get a behind-the-scenes tour of operations — a unique experience from a team proud of the contribution they make to the kiwi-breeding programme.
Not only can people view the hatchery programme, but they also learn about the operations at the kiwi hospital facility where sick and injured kiwi are brought in from the wild. Dogs, possum traps and cars can hurt kiwi.
The hatchery has an intensive care unit where injured kiwi receive expert care to heal and recuperate. They have professional husbandry staff for kiwi rehabilitation and can call on expert veterinary assistance for injuries involving surgery.
The worst predator for kiwi chicks are stoats. Adult kiwi are strong and can defend themselves against stoats but chicks need to grow to 1kg in weight before they can fight off a stoat. It takes about five months of feeding to reach a “stoat-proof” weight. Once a kiwi chick has grown to the magic 1kg, it is transported back to its home forest and released into the wild — a healthy juvenile kiwi to help save the species.
The National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa, launched in 2008 as the National Kiwi Recovery Trust, is the only facility hatching eastern brown kiwi, which are classified as “at risk and declining” by the Department of Conservation.
The hatchery has grown to become the largest and most successful kiwi hatching facility in the world, successfully incubating and hatching brown kiwi eggs from 15 sanctuaries and reserves in the North Island. Their work has helped the population of brown kiwi considerably and has provided an ideal facility for the continuation of research into kiwi eggs and chicks.
Last season, 72 percent of all brown kiwi hatched ex-situ nationwide came from the hatchery.
Hatchery manager Tumu Kaitiaki Kiwi Emma Bean says: “Since 1995 we have successfully hatched 2048 kiwi chicks with an average hatch success rate of more than 95 percent.
“We see each chick as taonga (treasure), vitally important in the battle for the survival of the species,” says Emma.
FACTBOX
' The National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa is located at the Rainbow Springs Nature Park complex in Rotorua — however, only the hatchery is reopening. Rainbow Springs does not yet have a reopening date.
' The hatchery will be open from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30am to 2pm. The entry fee has been discounted from standard rates and entry will cost $30 per adult and $15 per child.
' There are five tours per day and visitors can make bookings and find more information on the website:
https://www.nationalkiwihatchery.org.nz/
' The National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa is also supported by Kiwis for Kiwis and the Department of Conservation's Wildlife Institution Relief Fund.
