The Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head welcomed a new albatross chick to the colony on Wednesday.
Manager of operations at Taiaroa Head Hoani Langsbury said it had been an "important day" for the staff at the centre.
Although he was not there to witness the egg hatching, it was one of his favourite parts of working with the centre, Mr Langsbury said.
"The best day is when we actually see them fledge and they leave because there are some chicks that may hatch but never make it through to fledging — but the number of those [fledging] are certainly increasing."
This year’s breeding season had been the best yet with eight more viable eggs than last season, he said.
"This is, at this stage, our best breeding season on record.
"Last year’s flock of fledglings was 33. This year we’re currently sitting at 41 viable eggs," he said.
The albatross chick was in an incubator for two to three days and had been pipping for three to four days, meaning it was breaking out of its shell, he said.
Having watched over the adults and their eggs for the past two months, the staff at the centre had been waiting in great anticipation for the first chick to hatch.
Because the parent was a first-time breeder, the Department of Conservation would be keeping the chick under observation, Mr Langsbury said.
"Most of the parents are pretty good.
"It’s only first-time breeders that Doc has a concern about, not being familiar or used to what’s going on underneath them."
Albatross chicks would stay at the colony until September, when they eventually fledged, he said.
