A kiwi chick has proven there's no right or wrong way to succeed – just as long as you get the job done.

The chick, which is originally from Moehau on the Coromandel Peninsula, emerged into the world by kicking its way through the bottom of its egg at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter hatchery in Rotorua last Friday.

Kiwi Husbandry assistant manager Emma Bean says kicking through the bottom of an egg is not only a tiring exercise for kiwi, but could have cost the Coromandel chick its life. But with a little bit of last minute help from staff, this story has a happy ending – or in this case, a happy beginning.

'This occasionally happens, that the chick tries to come out the wrong way. Kiwi use their strong legs to push their way out of the egg, instead of coming out head first through the blunt end of the egg, this chick tried to come out legs first out the pointy end.

'This chick had worn itself out trying to hatch legs first so we needed to give it a helping hand at the very end of the hatch. In the wild, the dad may have been able to provide some sort of assistance, but in reality this chick may have not have made it.”

Ngāi Tahu Tourism, which owns and operates Rainbow Springs, spokeswoman Shelley Burnett says the unnamed kiwi weighed 357g when it hatched on March 24.The average weight for a kiwi egg at time of laying is 350g.

'The chick doesn't have a name yet, we are currently seeking a sponsor who may want to support this bird, and they will be able to name it.”

But the million dollar question – is the kiwi chick male or female?

'We don't know the gender of our kiwi chicks when they first hatch, as the male and female chicks are practically identical.”

To find out chicks' gender Kiwi Encounter staff pluck a couple of sample feathers which are then sent to Massey University to undergo DNA testing.

'Often the chicks have already been released back into the wild when we receive the results, so we do try to give them gender neutral names where possible.”

If anyone is interested in sponsoring and naming the kiwi, contact staff Kiwi Encounter staff via the Rainbow Springs website, rainbowsprings.co.nz

KIWI ENCOUNTER – BREEDING SUCCESS

In the wild there's a 50 per cent hatch success each season, but at Kiwi Encounter, the largest hatchery of Brown kiwi, the success rate is 95 per cent.

Emma says during the 2016/17 hatch season, which is drawing to a close, 124 kiwi chicks have hatched from around the North Island at the hatchery.

Kiwi Encounter is also one of several facilities around New Zealand involved in Operation Nest Egg, which has been crucial to turning kiwi population numbers around from a two per cent decrease to a two per cent increase.

'We've got one more egg yet to hatch, and more eggs due to arrive during the week, so it's been a busy season. The last couple of years only 100 chicks have hatched each season at Rainbow Springs and we have attributed this to the long dry summers.

'Last winter was a mild one and we've had a soggy summer, which has been great for young kiwi as invertebrates - their food source - are closer to the surface and make for easier pickings.

'So whilst this summer's weather may have affected some of your plans, you can be comforted by the fact that it's been great for kiwi.”

Once hatched the chicks stay at Kiwi Encounter until they are a healthy ‘stoat proof' weight of 1kg before being released back to their home in the wild where they have a 65 per cent survival rate, instead of just five per cent if they were left to hatch in in their natural habitat.

To learn more about Kiwi Encounter at Rainbow Springs and kiwi conservation efforts, visit rainbowsprings.co.nz/kiwi-conservation/