This unnamed tokoeka kiwi chick is the first of the season to hatch at the West Coast Wildlife Centre.

Work to boost the numbers of one of the rarest kiwi breeds has had early season success.

The first Haast tokoeka kiwi of the season has hatched at the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef. There are only about 400 of the nationally critical animals left, making it one of the rarests of New Zealand's five kiwi species.

The yet-to-be named chick is the progeny of a male named Bambi, who has no other offspring recorded – making it important to keep his genetics in the pool.

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West Coast Wildlife Centre kiwi husbandry manager Kim Revelly said it was a truly magical moment to hold a newly-hatched kiwi chick after caring for it through its three-week incubation.

"This feisty little guy has brought many smiles to our faces already."

Centre owner Richard Benton said the team was proud of the significant conservation difference they were making.

The centre is the largest hatching facility in the South Island. Since opening in 2010, it has hatched 108 tokoeka kiwi chicks, and 257 rare rowi kiwi chicks. It operates in partnership with the Department of Conservation.

Much of the Haast tokoeka population is in a 12,000-hectare sanctuary south of Haast, where a large predator-control operation is run. Eggs found outside the sanctuary are taken to facilities where they can be hatched in safety.

In the uncontrolled wild, less than 5 per cent of Haast tokoeka chicks survive. Their main predator is the stoat.

The Haast tokoeka is a shy and reclusive bird, and the mountainous South Westland wilderness it calls home makes conservation work difficult.

Haast tokoeka have curved-down bills, rather than the straight bills seen in other kiwi species.