Duckworth "Duckie" the duck has been unable to hold herself upright, fly or walk unassisted since she hatched.
Fourteen months ago the newly-hatched duckling was kicked out of her mother’s nest on one of the snowiest days of the year.
After lying in the snow overnight, Duckie was picked up by a carer from Ross Home, in North Dunedin, who warmed her up and attempted to put her back in the nest.
After the mother rejected the duckling again, Ross Home caretaker Richard Trainor agreed to take the little creature home and care for her.
Mr Trainor said he expected Duckie to stay at his house for a short while before she flew off.
"Quite obviously, she never did fly away, and we soon found she could not fly at all."
Duckie was unable to walk or stand unassisted, sit down or fly.
She also has a heated pond she goes into with her frame and is served up her dinner of worms, water and grains on a special elevated food bowl.
Originally, it was thought her mobility issues were from an injury she may have sustained as a duckling, but Mr Trainor now believes they may have happened while she was in the egg.
When she was a month old, Mr Trainor started looking for ways to hold the duckling up.
He originally watched her movements to see what her needs would be and started on the first frame for Duckie.
"There’s no way we can give her 100% of our time, and if she couldn’t stand, there was no hope for her.
"It started off as a frame just to hold her up, but I would modify it a bit more to give her some more freedom."
The frame was originally a shade house that blew apart within two days of Mr Trainor owning it.
The version Duckie now uses is the sixth frame Mr Trainor has built, with this one providing the most mobility.
Mr Trainor said he knew some people would "think she should have died", but said the duck was perfectly happy and had never known any other life.
"She quacks away, loves pats, sits on my knee at night and watches TV and the dog and her talk away — she knows no different."
She had many friends, with the family dog and cat chasing away any cheeky animals that dared to threaten Duckie while she was rolling around in the backyard.
Some local wild ducks also visit Duckie when she is in the yard and quack away with her before helping themselves to some of her leftovers and a quick dip in her special heated pond.
Duckie had started to go for visits to Ross Home, and Mr Trainor plans to take her at least once a month.
"The moment they see Duckie, they just mellow down. All the oldies love her."
