The public is invited to attend a Thursday morning release of little blue penguins back into the wild at Mount Maunganui Main Beach.

Maritime New Zealand says about 35-40 little blue penguins are being released at the beach, next to Leisure Island, at 8am.

Penguins prance towards the water in an earlier release at Mount Maunganui.

The penguins were harmed by oil, which had leaked from Rena, the 236m container ship stranded on the Astrolabe Reef since October 5.

They have undergone a process of cleaning and waterproofing to ensure they are physically prepared for the rigor of the wild.

The transition to the wild is being strictly policed by MNZ and Wildlife Response Centre staff with an enforced cordon at the beach between the animals and attending spectators.

The public is asked to respect the cordon as this is intended to protect the birds from being alarmed by any crowds.

The number of viewing points is limited and the public is encouraged to arrive early for the best chance to secure a good observation point.

The majority of the remaining little blue penguins at the facility are from Motiti Island, making future releases less accessible to the general public.

There will be a brief speech before an iwi representative blesses the birds, then all the birds will be released at once – it is likely they will swim away quite rapidly.

Wet weather is unlikely to affect the release.

The penguin release is at Mount Maunganui Main Beach at 8am.