"In the wild they would wake up when the sun rises and spend all day at sea fishing. Obviously they don't need to hunt in here so they don't spend as much time in the water feeding," Ms Cuthbert said.
The dinner menu is European; serving sprat fish, known scientifically as Sprattus Sprattus.
Now a full year old the little penguins are just two of the 17 residents that live in penguin cove.
The cove's permanent residents come from all walks of life, many being taken in after being abandoned as chicks, attacked by dogs or hit by boats.
Ms Cuthbert had 20 years of experience at Napier's Marineland before beginning work at the National Aquarium in 2012.
"We were pretty excited about the chicks growing up. Egg incubation is approximately 40 days and these two are the first to grow up in captivity in a long time," she said.
Pippa and Pepper were named through a competition run by Friends of the Aquarium.
The pair of Little Penguins are both females and sport different characteristics; Pepper is plump and has grey eyes while Pippa is sleeker with brown eyes.
Ms Cuthbert said while penguins in the wild have a lifespan of 12 years the oldest in penguin cove is 22.
"It's a rewarding job, especially when you get to look after penguins," she said.
Other residents you will find out and about in Penguin Cove is black billed seagull Mrs Phelps who has just one wing and little penguin Dora who was taken in as an abandoned chick at 5 days old.
