By KRISTIN MACFARLANE in Rotorua
The latest and 100th addition to Rotorua's Kiwi Encounter finally has a name - Whangai.
The Maori name means "adopted", which local Vicky Nikora and her grandchildren decided was perfect for a wee bird which Rotorua has embraced as one of its own.
Mrs Nikora and her grandchildren were the winners of a competition run jointly by the Daily Post and Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter to come up with a name for the chick.
Mrs Nikora got to "meet" the chick yesterday.
As part of Project Kiwi, the Daily Post has kept close tabs on Whangai's progress, highlighting what's involved in ensuring the survival of New Zealand's iconic native bird.
Mrs Nikora said Whangai was her family's choice of name because, as her grandson had said, the people of Rotorua would all belong to the kiwi and the kiwi to the people.
While the bird itself didn't seem too concerned about starting life without a name, manager of kiwi husbandry at Kiwi Encounter Claire Travers was grateful kiwi number 100 now had an identity.
"It's not nice when they haven't got a name.
"I think it's a fantastic name, I think it's perfect."
But while Whangai now has a name, its gender is yet to be determined.
Feather samples will be taken from the chick and sent away for DNA analysis to find out whether it is male or female.
Rainbow Springs staff were so impressed with some of the suggested names for the new chick, they decided to give away four family passes as runner-up prizes.
The runners-up were the Vercoes, who suggested Uenuku, meaning rainbow; the Gore family for Pomanu, which means bird of the night or Rikimanu meaning small bird; Ken Herbert who suggested Oscar because the chick is "a star performer"; and 10-year-old Talor Kahu, for the name Raski, an acronym for Rainbow Springs and kiwi.
Rainbow Springs is holding a locals day on March 26 with free entry to the springs for locals and to Kiwi Encounter for a gold coin donation.
