What began as a Year 13 Digital Technology project has evolved into something far bigger than Year 13 student Tanushri Dev ever imagined. Her virtual reality game, Health Hero VR, is set to be rolled out nationwide in collaboration with St John New Zealand, helping students around the country interactively learn essential emergency response skills.
Tanushri recently met with the Community Education Lead at St John, who offered to collaborate on the project — supporting her with medical advice, small-scale development funding, and connections to help expand its reach.
“This is very exciting, since it has grown beyond a classroom project into something big for myself and the school, and it will help students and communities around New Zealand,” she says.
Health Hero VR was born from Tanushri’s passion for both VR and health. Her goal was to create something meaningful that could make a real difference. The game teaches CPR, choking response, and emergency care through interactive, gamified scenarios designed for students.
After months of development, she decided to email St John New Zealand on a whim. “I was sure they wouldn’t reply,” she says. “But they did!”
Their support has set the project on track for a nationwide rollout next year, making all the late-night development sessions worthwhile.
Next, Tanushri plans to add more levels covering burns and allergic reactions, make the game more professional, and work with schools across the country to teach life-saving skills through play.
Congratulations, Tanushri, on this exceptional achievement.