News Release

First kiwi of the season hatches

Rotorua, 14 September 2012 – The first kiwi of the breeding season has hatched at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua.

The 326g chick emerged from its shell today and is part of the captive breeding programme at the park. It's the 12th egg from Billie and Artha and was laid on 26 June, Artha is still sitting on the sibling egg, which was laid on 23 July.

The new arrival has particularly silvery feathers on its head and gingery tones to its sides, it will be named by its sponsors, luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent.

Rainbow Springs National Kiwi Trust Kiwi Encounter facility also incubates kiwi eggs from the wild and is the largest hatchery of North Island brown kiwis.

The kiwi eggs are kept safe and warm until they hatch, allowing the newborn chicks to get a strong start in life away from predators such as stoats and cats. Once the chicks reach a healthy weight of around 1kg they are returned to the wild.

To find out more about sponsoring a kiwi or making a donation visit www.rainbowsprings.co.nz Every Kiwi Encounter Tour booked at Rainbow Springs is donated to the National Kiwi Trust.

Rainbow Springs involvement in kiwi conservation began in 1995 with the arrival of an orphaned egg and the hatchery has grown over the years to become the largest kiwi hatching facility in New Zealand, successfully incubating and hatching brown kiwi eggs from around the North Island.

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