Today, most kākāpō live on small, strictly protected islands, making it difficult for unskilled people to see them in person. But before the arrival of humans, kākāpō were distributed throughout New Zealand. Reintroducing the kākāpō to mainland New Zealand has always been an important goal for the conservation team.

For this project, I developed a board game that draws on the goal of homecoming to build a narrative, using much of the information from events that have taken place during the conservation of the kākāpō by humans. It is aimed at visitors to Zealandia or Wellington Zoo, especially children aged 8-12 and their families. The main strategy of this project is to sell board games containing information about the kākāpō in gift shops as a way to raise donations for the rare bird. It also raises children’s awareness of the endemic species.

While enjoying this two-player game, children will take on the role of scientists trying to overcome obstacles to bring the kākāpō back to the mainland. Much of the information in the game is based on reality. Some luck is also required for the game. Just as research on kākāpō is still being explored, we can’t predict what we’ll encounter in the future. The colour scheme uses a black base to convey the nocturnal environment in which the kākāpō lives, and a vibrant green to create a scene of prosperous growth through colour contrast. I based the game mechanic on one of the classic board games, ludo, and added a genetic diversity judgement condition to it. This makes children not only compete with each other, but also learn to co-operate with others to reach the goal together. This game is designed to awaken the curiosity and spirit of discovery about natural science in children of this age.