The National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa
Family Fun / North
The whole family will love the globally acclaimed National Kiwi Hatchery. It’s the only purpose-built kiwi conservation centre in the world that’s open to the public, and New Zealand’s only open-to-view kiwi hatchery and rearing facility.
Now at its new location, nestled into the countryside at the much-loved Agrodome, visitors still experience an incredible behind-the-scenes look into the work that plays a vital role in saving our native bird – and national icon – from extinction.
At the hatchery, the team of renowned scientists incubate the kiwi eggs, hatch the chicks, and raise the birds until they grow to the magic weight of 1kg (2.2lbs) and are released back to their home forest – another healthy adult kiwi to help save the species!
In the wild, kiwi eggs get eaten by predators; only five out of 100 kiwi eggs laid in forest burrows make it to adulthood. By hatching the kiwi eggs in safety at the National Kiwi Hatchery, the birds’ survival rate in the wild increases from 5% to 65%.
At the hatchery, the team of renowned scientists incubate the kiwi eggs, hatch the chicks, and raise the birds until they grow to the magic weight of 1kg (2.2lbs) and are released back to their home forest – another healthy adult kiwi to help save the species!
In the wild, kiwi eggs get eaten by predators; only five out of 100 kiwi eggs laid in forest burrows make it to adulthood. By hatching the kiwi eggs in safety at the National Kiwi Hatchery, the birds’ survival rate in the wild increases from 5% to 65%.