Napier Port penguins: First little kororā chicks of season hatch

The first eggs for this year's breeding season appeared at Napier Port's little penguin kororā sanctuary early in September. Photo / Napier Port

Napier Port's first two little penguin kororā chicks for this season have arrived.

The two chicks were captured hatching on camera at the port's penguin sanctuary via one of their Keeping Up With The Kororā live cameras.

There are 16 other eggs in nine nesting boxes across the sanctuary.

The penguins are currently in guard phase, in which one of a penguin pair sits on the nest while the other goes out to gather food.

Once hatched, the penguin chicks spend the next eight weeks in the nest before they are fully grown and set off into the wild.

the first two chicks at Napier Port's little penguin kororā sanctuary have arrived, with 16 eggs still yet to hatch. Photo / Napier Port

At 6 weeks old, each penguin will be safely microchipped by the port's environmental team so they can track which penguins are returning home to the sanctuary over time.

The sanctuary was developed in 2018 as part of Napier Port's 6 Wharf expansion to help protect the at-risk and declining species.

The sanctuary has been developed with the help of kororā expert of 30 years, Professor John Cockrem of Massey University, who recently installed GPS trackers on five penguins to help better understand the population and its movements.

A recent penguin survey at the port found 178 nests around the port and under the wharves.