The birth and growth of Tōmua is a remarkable collaboration between the Wildlife Hospital in Dunedin and Penguin Rescue at the Katiki Point Lighthouse at Moeraki.
The hospital successfully hatched her and named her Tōmua, which means "early" or "first".
Her gender was not known then but has now been established as female — males have larger heads and feet.
Tōmua was transferred to the care of Penguin Rescue manager Rosalie Goldsworthy and her team at the age of just 11 days.
A pair of hoiho there had lost two chicks to a viral infection, Mrs Goldsworthy said.
The hoiho pair were slipped a dummy egg to care for, then later given the baby hoiho.
The parents seemed delighted with their new chick, she said.
Tōmua was likely to fledge this week, Penguin Rescue staff member Robbie Verhoef said.
That means she will leave her nest and swim out to sea.
Penguin Rescue did not know if she would return, Mrs Goldsworthy said..
"There’s always a dispersal phase in the first year."
But many of the endangered penguins rehabilitated after illness or attacks by predators released into the wild by Penguin Rescue did return to breed.
