New kiwi chick named after quake

File photo

A healthy kiwi chick has hatched at Christchurch's Orana Park, allaying fears that the earthquake had damaged the egg.

The magnitude 7.1 quake on September 4 caused a power outage of four hours as well as rocking the delicate egg inside its incubator.

Orana Park staff were worried about the state of the egg and so were delighted with the arrival of the healthy chick on Friday night, public relations manager Nathan Hawke said.

The kiwi would be called Ruwhenua, which means shaky ground or the shaking of the land.

"We think this name will serve as a reminder to us of the impact the earthquake and aftershocks have had upon Christchurch and Canterbury residents," head keeper of native fauna Tara Atkinson said.

There was an awkward moment during the hatching process when staff realised the chick had actually put its foot through one end of the egg (instead of kicking out at the middle of the egg) making it difficult to break free, Ms Atkinson said.

But after some help from staff the brown kiwi chick hatched and is described as having a "feisty character".

Brown kiwi are classified as being in serious decline by the Department of Conservation.

- NZPA