HELI HABITAT HELPERS

Heli Habitat Helpers was a group project at Massey University as part of the 'Play, Research and Design' paper.

'Heli Habitat Helpers' is an interactive toy that aims to teach children about the needs of the kākāpō bird and invites them to work together to rescue, feed, and rehabilitate a lost kākāpō. It encourages children to engage in conservation narratives about our native wildlife. Kākāpō are an endangered species that require significant support from wildlife conservation organisations. We were inspired by the use of conservation helicopters to supply and transport cargo to islands and remote locations. The toy is intended for two or more players, divided into two teams. Through immersive storytelling and role-play, the players are brought into the world of conservationists and learn to work together to successfully rehabilitate a kākāpō.

Group Members: Sarina Oetgen, Fionn Norgrove, India Lindsay and Theo Jones. All students of Massey University.

We were lucky enough to be featured in Spring 2025's issue of Forest & Bird magazine.