Last week, two penguin chicks hatched in a nesting box in one of the oldest areas of the colony. Their arrival restarts the colony’s breeding season after two chicks born in May died of unknown causes.
Colony research scientist Philippa Agnew said colony staff were always "excited" about chicks hatching.
While the birds would not be named, they would eventually be marked with a flipper band or a microchip.
The parents of the chicks are a 4-year-old male and an 8-year-old female.
This is the second year the couple have produced offspring together, Dr Agnew said.
The colony had 94 eggs, Dr Agnew said, and just around the corner the Oamaru Creek Penguin Reserve held about 20 eggs.
The first eggs have also been laid in the public viewing area at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony’s Blue Wing.
"There’s 10 nesting boxes that people can look into and see penguins in there. As the birds grow, they’ll be able to see them."
She was hopeful the season would be a positive for penguin numbers.
"We’ll never really know for sure until around October."
