Kiwi hatching season has officially begun at National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa, with our first chick of the 2026/27 season hatching on 10 September 2026.
First kiwi hatch of 2026 season - Mt.Jc.24
Mt.Jc.24's egg was one of 19 collected as part of a multi-nest egg lift from Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust's Maungataniwha Kiwi Programme, one of the largest kiwi projects undertaking Operation Nest Egg in the North Island. The eggs made quite the entrance, arriving at the Hatchery by helicopter on 6 September.
Just four days later, Mt.Jc.24 hatched weighing 299.5g, marking the beginning of another exciting kiwi hatching season for our team.
Meet our first kiwi chick of the 2026/27 season
Mt.Jc.24 is thriving in the brooder room and has already started showing a bit of personality. Our kiwi keepers describe the chick as relaxed, but rather vocal!
The chick passed its important five-day health check with flying colours and is utilising its remaining yolk as expected. Next up is another milestone: being introduced to the national kiwi diet.
For our kiwi keepers, the first hatch is always a special moment.
"It's such an exciting time when the first chick hatches each season! Everything we have been preparing for between seasons is finally here, and we cannot wait to get stuck back into it."
When is kiwi hatching season in New Zealand?
Kiwi hatching season generally runs from around September through to March, making spring and summer an exciting time at National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa.
The exact timing of kiwi breeding and hatching can vary from year to year, with environmental conditions playing a role. Weather experienced during the preceding season, including whether conditions have been warmer and wetter or cooler and drier, can influence breeding patterns and when eggs begin arriving at the Hatchery.
As eggs arrive, our kiwi keepers carry out regular health checks and candling. Candling allows the team to monitor what is happening inside an egg as the kiwi chick develops.
kiwi keeper candling a new egg arrival
When a chick begins to pip, making its first breakthrough through the shell, the egg moves into our hatching room where it can be closely monitored through the final stages of the hatching process.
With hatching activity now underway, spring and summer are fascinating times to visit the National Kiwi Hatchery and learn more about the journey from egg to chick.
What happens after a kiwi chick hatches?
Hatching might be a major milestone, but it's just one stage in a much bigger journey:
Egg → incubation → hatching → brooder room → outdoor crèche → release
Once a chick hatches, it remains in the hatching room until it is around two days old and properly dry. Despite still having a rather impressive tummy filled with yolk, our keepers make sure the chick can sit and crouch on its own before it moves into the brooder room.
Chicks remain indoors until they regain their initial hatch weight, which takes around three weeks for the average chick.
During their time in the brooder room, chicks receive daily health checks, are introduced to the national kiwi diet, have feathers sent away for DNA testing and receive a microchip.
Once they're above their hatch weight, it's graduation time. The chicks move from indoors into our onsite predator-proof outdoor kiwi crèche.
The crèche environment is designed to be similar to their original forest habitat. Health checks are reduced to weekly as the chicks grow, develop natural behaviours and prepare for their eventual release.
The milestone everyone is working towards is reaching around 1kg, often referred to as "stoat-proof" weight. Once ready, chicks can return to their home forest with a much greater chance of survival.
In the wild, only around 5% of kiwi chicks reach adulthood. With the help of Operation Nest Egg and predator control, that survival rate can increase to more than 65%.
Last season alone, National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa hatched 83 kiwi chicks, with a hatching success rate of 94.3%.
More than 2,700 kiwi returned to the wild
Our first chick of the 2026/27 season also represents another milestone. Mt.Jc.24 became the 2,690th kiwi chick hatched onsite since National Kiwi Hatchery began in 1995.
Not every chick in our care hatches here at the Hatchery. Sometimes, when field teams head into the forest to collect eggs for Operation Nest Egg, they discover a chick has already hatched. These vulnerable chicks can still be brought to the Hatchery, where they can grow towards the 1kg milestone and have a better chance of surviving to adulthood.
Since 1995, National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa has helped release 2,713 kiwi chicks back into the wild.
Visit National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa this spring and save 10%
Want to see where this conservation mahi happens?
For a limited time, you can save 10% on your National Kiwi Hatchery experience using promo code 10OFF, with the offer now extended until Sunday 11 October 2026.
During your guided experience, you'll learn about one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most iconic native birds and the conservation work helping to protect them.
Explore interactive displays, discover what it takes to incubate and hatch a kiwi chick, talk to our kiwi experts and step into the darkness of our purpose-built Nocturnal House for the opportunity to see kiwi foraging in a natural environment.
Book your National Kiwi Hatchery experience and save 10%
Frequently asked questions about National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa
Where can I see kiwi in Rotorua?
You can see kiwi at National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa in Rotorua.Visitors can check in at Agrodome, 141 Western Road, Ngongotahā, Rotorua, before being transported by shuttle the short distance to the Hatchery.
National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa is only accessible as part of a guided experience.
Can you see kiwi chicks at National Kiwi Hatchery?
During kiwi hatching season, visitors may have the opportunity to see kiwi chicks in our hatching or brooder rooms, depending on activity at the Hatchery at the time of their visit.
Our experienced kiwi keeper team carry out important health checks and feeding at certain times of the day. As the care and welfare of kiwi comes first, seeing a chick or a particular stage of the hatching process cannot be guaranteed.
How does visiting National Kiwi Hatchery support kiwi conservation?
Every visitor helps support the conservation work happening at National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa.
By visiting, you're not only learning about kiwi and the challenges they face in the wild, you're helping support the specialist incubation, hatching and rearing work undertaken by our team to give kiwi chicks a greater chance of survival.
How long does a National Kiwi Hatchery tour take?
Please allow up to 1 hour and 30 minutes for your National Kiwi Hatchery experience, including transport to and from the Hatchery.
Visitors should check in at the Agrodome reservations desk 10 minutes before their scheduled tour time. From there, you'll be transported by shuttle a short distance to National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa to begin your guided experience.
Following your tour, you'll have time to visit the National Kiwi Hatchery gift shop before being transported back to Agrodome.