Youngster first in the pecking order

It is fluffy, weighs in at 346g and it is not known whether it is a male or female yet - but the first chick of the season has arrived at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter.

The chick, which hatched on Saturday, is the first arrival of the 2015/16 kiwi hatching season.

From Tongariro, the chick's dad is called "Little Moa", and its sibling is still in the incubation room and getting close to hatching as well.

There are 17 eggs in incubation at Kiwi Encounter, which is New Zealand's largest hatchery for brown kiwi.

The eggs have been brought in from all over the North Island.

Kiwi Encounter plays a crucial role in kiwi conservation and breeding as New Zealand's largest and most successful kiwi hatching centre.

The team raises the chicks to a stoat-proof weight of 1kg before releasing them back into the wild. Rainbow Springs has hatched and nurtured more than 1450 eggs since 1995 when it first became involved in the Save the Kiwi recovery programme and this season will welcome its 1500th kiwi chick.

-To donate or sponsor a kiwi visit: www.rainbowsprings.co.nz/donate