A Rotorua nature park’s newest resident - a newborn rare white-feathered kiwi - finally has a name - Bloom, after Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.
Rainbow Springs Nature Park welcomed Bloom three days ago, and TVNZ1’s Breakfast viewers were asked to help with the naming for October’s Save Kiwi Month.
Emma Bean said the chick was particularly unique for its white feathers, with Bean herself only seeing the feathers twice - in 2017 and 2007.
“It will just be a generic thing that crops up from time to time,” she said.
Bean said in the wild, significant amounts of white feathers wouldn’t be good for kiwis because it meant predators could more easily spot them.
But, she said Bloom would fare okay because its feathers were on its tummy and it was living in a protected area.
Bloom has been “quite wriggly and feisty, doing all the right things a kiwi should", Bean added.
Reporter Sam Kelway pulled the name “Bloom” out of a box while the cameras were rolling. Other name suggestions included Aroha and Atawhai (Kindness).
It’s not the first time an animal was named after Bloomfield.
In June, a kea at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital was named after Bloomfield.
In July, a baby rhinoceros in Botswana was named after him following its adoption.
Bloomfield said at the time it was “a privilege” to have the rhino named after him.
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