Two baby tuatara spotted in a South Island eco-sanctuary are possibly the first in hundreds of years

Hatchlings have been reported in North Island eco-sanctuaries - but never before in the Orokonui Ecosanctuary.

Tuatara research group leader, Professor Alison Cree, says evidence of live offspring is an important stage in re-establishing a population.

She says this is the first direct evidence of an entire cycle from egg yolk production in the mother - through to hatching - at Orokonui.