The ducklings will eventually be released into the wild to help boost the nationally vulnerable species.

Auckland Zoo is in a flutter after successfully breeding the rare native whio, or blue duck, for the first time in five years.

The five-strong brood, or "paddling" to use the technical term, are just over a week old. While the ducklings are all fuzz and cuteness now, over coming weeks they'll get strong enough to head off to a duckling "boot camp" at a Department of Conservation (DOC) facility down country.

The ducks are familiar to many people as they feature on the $10 note.

AUCKLAND ZOO Auckland Zoo took to Facebook to share the good news

Auckland Zoo took to Facebook to announce the good news.

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"These special ducklings are the first whio born at our zoo in five years and as part of our breed for release programme."

AUCKLAND ZOO Five rare whio duckings have hatched at Auckland Zoo

The zoo said that at the duckling "boot-camp" in Turangi, on the southern banks on Lake Taupo, the chicks will build up their muscles and learn to fly, "preparing them for their new life in the wild".

DOC rangers at the camp describe it as a whio "hardening facility".

"[It provides] an opportunity for whio juveniles hatched in captivity to experience fast-flowing water mimicking the environment they will be released in.

CHARLOTTE CURD/STUFF (FILE PHOTO) There are only 3000 whio left in the wild.

"This has been shown to dramatically increase the juveniles' ability to adapt to the wild once released."

Whio are classified as nationally vulnerable according to DOC, and require clean, fast-flowing streams to swim in.

Because of this they are a key indicator of healthy rivers and streams; the more breeding pairs of blue duck the healthier the river.

NICHOLAS MCBRIDE/STUFF The whio features on the New Zealand $10 note.

There are under 3000 individuals in the wild, and they are rarer than some species of kiwi.

They were once found in the North and South Island but their numbers have reduced greatly due to pollution and predation.