Bird’s Eye View season 2 lands on TVNZ+ this month

Sweetshop Entertainment and Studio Local are ruffling feathers with the return of Bird’s Eye View – the animated series that’s part wild backyard romp, part parenting survival story (depending on who’s watching). 

Back on TVNZ+ in 2025, this brand-new eight-episode season brings together everything kids love – funny birds, silly adventures and a whole lot of heart – with just enough grown-up chuckles to keep parents entertained too. 

And this time, the flock is flying further. With the arrival of some very special international guests (hello, Australia!), plus a few adorable new hatchlings in the nest, season 2 is bigger, bolder and even more delightfully unhinged. 

Producer Rickylee Russell-Waipuka says: “The team at Studio Local have taken things up a notch in season 2. It’s funnier, fresher and even more heart. Plus the animation is something the team can all be so proud of.

“We’ve added new characters for the kids, and brought in Aussie comedy star Stephanie Tisdell as Lindy the cockatoo, whose sharp humour gives the series a whole new edge.” 

Season 2 is ruffling feathers in the best way possible

The new series brings together a stellar line-up of voices, both familiar and new:

• Tūī, voiced by the always brilliant Millen Baird (Housebound, Terry Teo)
• Kererū, played by multi-hyphenate Kerry Warkia
• Pīwakawaka, brought to life by our very own Gemma Easton
• Pūkeko, voiced by Aotearoa treasure Stan Walker
• Jail Bird, played by the wonderfully deadpan Andy Faulkner (Jethica, Youngstown)
• New to the nest—Lindy the cockatoo, voiced by Aussie comedy sensation Stephanie Tisdell (Class of ’07, Bump)

Season 2 also introduces some fresh faces: Pūkeko Junior (played by Tawaho Russell-Waipuka) and the Kererū Chicks (the talented Kaea Levia McKay Aukino and Liam McColl Buller) are making their debut.

Stan Walker, who plays Pūkeko talks about the dynamic on screen: “I’m a father, and I think kids always relate to cartoons that reflect them, and who they want to be. And I know my kids will love it even more now that I have a son in Pūkeko Jr.” 

A perfect family watch

There will be even more bird-brained attempts to make sense of the human world – from backyard bloopers to unexpected run-ins with the wild unknown.

Directed by Pete Circuitt and Jared Kahi, and written by Nick Ward, Nick Boshier, Kathryn Burnett, Amy Stewart and Te Waiarangi Ratana, the series was made in partnership with Studio Local & The Sweetshop, and proudly funded by NZ On Air. 

“Whānau is truly at the heart of season 2 of Bird’s Eye View,” says director Jared Kahi.

“The flock were a kind of de facto family unit in season 1, but with the introduction of the younger birds into the cast, we get to see new dimensions of our main characters as they interact with the next generation, proving that it does indeed take a village to raise children.

“As directors and parents ourselves, it’s so satisfying to explore these family dynamics and expand the world as their adventures extend out of the backyard and into the wider world.” 

Whether you’re five or forty-five, Bird’s Eye View will have the whole family chuckling.