Echoes Around Te Mata
HAWKE’S BAY | LAUNCHED 1ST OCTOBER 2025
Aside from the National Bat Survey, this is currently the largest citizen science project of its type in NZ, spanning 25 kilometres around Te Mata Peak and welcoming participants from school children to retirees and professional ecologists alike. It's deliberately open, designed to build a community around the work rather than gatekeep it. As a large-scale, citizen-science-led effort, the data it gathers feeds directly into more in-depth specialist projects, turning broad landscape coverage into targeted research. The overarching aim is to channel high-resolution local data into a national database, made possible by our automated data processing (otherwise known as “The Bat Pack”), and to show what's possible anywhere in the country (or the world) for anyone who wants to replicate what's been built here in Hawke's Bay.
Our approach:
Echoes is built around community engagement, with results shared with the Pekapeka Patrollers who take part. As each phase adds sites, this page will show where bats have been recorded and where they are yet to be found. We begin by Establishing which species are present, then Understanding where and when they're active. From there, we Build Capacity through shared knowledge and Monitor activity and change over time. These findings lay the groundwork for future specialist projects, from Identifying threats and establishing long-term monitoring sites to Cross-site comparisons and standardised reporting. Ultimately, this work will help us Act and Innovate, developing new survey techniques and guiding practical conservation efforts. This is the beginning of a longer story, revealing what's possible for bat conservation in the years ahead. This page follows the project as the work unfolds, sharing our objectives, field notes, maps and emerging insights. Right now, we're in Phase 1: Establish.
Follow along as we begin to uncover what's happening around Te Mata Peak or join the National Bat Survey as a Pekapeka Patroller at the bottom of the page to get involved!
Are bats here?
Which species?
What are they doing?
What’s changing?
Objectives
Each project delivers to ten key objectives. To see an overview of objective steps, .
Phase
Phase 1, in progress. To see an overview of project phases, .
Site
Echoes Around Te Mata (25km): 1,963.5 km² (196,350 ha), 50km across. Open to volunteers.
Deliverables & success criteria
Acoustic survey phase 1 findings report. To see the full breakdown by objective, .
| Activity | Description/frequency |
|---|---|
| Detector deployment | Scales progressively through each survey phase — from initial small-scale deployment (Obj 1) to broader coverage (Obj 2, 3 & 5). |
| Data processing | The Bat Pack, with manual verification. |
| Analysis | Manual analysis to understand site use and identify hotspots. |
| Reporting | Ongoing website content, plus a formal annual report after the season (e.g. August). Includes cross-site comparison where relevant. |
| Education & awareness | Shared content and resources — weekly. |
DOC Bat Recovery Plan – objective alignment
The 1995 DOC Bat (Pekapeka) Recovery Plan sets out five national objectives guiding bat conservation in Aotearoa. Mohi Bush directly contributes to four of these.
- Research. Our ongoing survey and monitoring work builds the evidence base needed for effective bat management.
- Status evaluation. Establishing presence, species, and distribution data contributes to national understanding.
- Protection and monitoring. Long-term monitoring supports population tracking across the species' range.
- Public awareness. Sharing this project's progress helps build public involvement in bat conservation.
The Plan's remaining objective concerns island-based short-tailed bat translocation, outside the scope of this mainland monitoring project.
Read recovery planProject objectives
Objectives 4–7 are greyed out as they don’t apply to citizen science projects like Echoes Around Te Mata.
| # | Objective |
|---|---|
| 1 | Establish presence and species (via acoustic survey) |
| 2 | Refine understanding of activity/distribution across the project area (ongoing survey — may reveal additional species) |
| 3 | Identify hotspots (foraging/commuting/roosting) and seasonality of activity/distribution |
| 4 | Identify threats and recommend conservation actions, based on findings from Objectives 1–3 |
| 5 | Establish a long-term monitoring site — track activity over time as a proxy for colony health and a wider indicator |
| 6 | Trial and develop innovative conservation and survey techniques (e.g. roost boxes, refined methods) |
| 7 | Cross-site comparison and standardised reporting, using a consistent graphical template — also an educational resource for other ecologists |
| 8 | Raise awareness and build community engagement — social media, blog, video sharing the project journey (runs from Phase 1, continuously) |
| 9 | Landowner and community relationship-building (runs from Phase 1, continuously) |
| 10 | Capacity building and training, delivered online — matures once there's real project substance to teach from |
Project phases
Swipe to see more→
| # | Phase | Description | Objectives introduced | Objectives continuing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Establish | Confirm presence, species, initial activity | 1, 8, 9 | — |
| 2 | Understand | Full picture of distribution, hotspots, seasonality, cross-site comparison | 2, 3 | 8, 9 |
| 3 | Act & Innovate | Recommend/trial conservation actions and techniques | — | 8, 9 |
| 4 | Build Capacity | Training content matures now there's substance to teach from | 10 | 8, 9 |
| 5 | Monitor | Long-term monitoring established and ongoing | — | 8, 9, 10 |
Deliverables & success criteria
Objectives 4–7 are greyed out as they don’t apply to citizen science projects like Echoes Around Te Mata.
Swipe to see more→
| Objective | Deliverable(s) | Success Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Presence & species | Brief report + map, downloadable/shareable, branded | Survey completed; species confirmed present (or absence established with confidence) |
| 2. Activity & distribution | Per-survey report + maps, shown consistently (Survey 1, 2, Cumulative) | Sufficient coverage achieved to characterise activity patterns |
| 3. Hotspots & seasonality | Hotspot map + seasonal comparison maps | Key hotspots identified; seasonal variation documented |
| 4. Threats & recommendations | Recommendations report/section | Actionable, evidence-based recommendations from Objectives 1–3 |
| 5. Long-term monitoring | Permanent site established (e.g. SM5), sited at a hotspot; feeds Obj 7 | Site operational, collecting data on an ongoing (e.g. annual) basis |
| 6. Trial techniques | Brief paper/blog + video/social content | Trial completed and documented with clear findings |
| 7. Cross-site comparison | Comparative analysis using a standardised graphical template | Comparison completed with ≥1 other site, using the template |
| 8. Awareness & engagement | Active social presence; direct public/volunteer engagement | Channels active, regularly producing content; genuine engagement |
| 9. Landowner relationships | (relationship-based) | Landowners hosting the monitoring site are on board and supportive |
| 10. Capacity building | Online training content (video, blog, social) | Training material published on the website |
Field Notes
A running diary from the field — updated whenever there's something worth logging from a site visit, detector check or survey.
Scroll to see more entries
Field Observations
1 Oct 2026
The New Zealand National Bat Survey begins!
Are you going to participate this year?
1 Jul – 30 Sep 2026
Three citizen science legends kept surveying all winter
Three hardcore citizen scientists kept their detectors out right through winter — more than 150 survey nights and over 1,000 bat passes recorded (1,349 in total). These project participants are true heroes, and they’ve put us in a great position to kick off the ‘official bat survey season’ on 1 October 2026.
The Data – Echoes Around Te Mata
Explore the latest monitoring data, see where activity is being recorded and follow what we’re learning about bats across the project area.
Survey nights
Detector-nights of listening effort across all sites (26/27 season).
Sites monitored
Species: Long-tailed bat
Bat passes recorded
Sound files analysed
Citizen scientists
Activity & distribution maps
Click a map to zoom in.
How this compares to other projects
| Project | Survey Nights | Bat Passes Recorded | Call-type breakdown | Last update | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karamū Catchment | 60 | 0 | 29 Sep 2026 | Active | |
| Mohi Bush | 901 | 10,090 | 18 Sep 2026 | Active | |
| Rowe Bush | 990 | 22,281 | 20 Sep 2026 | Active | |
| Echoes Around Te Mata | 182 | 1,349 | 29 Sep 2026 | Active |
Survey nights
Detector-nights of listening effort across all sites (25/26 season).
Sites monitored
Species: Long-tailed bat
Bat passes recorded
Sound files analysed
Citizen scientists
Activity & distribution maps
Click a map to zoom in.
Call-type key
- Echolocation
- Foraging
- Commuting
- Social
Expert on the ground
Mark Roper
Ecologist and Founder of The Bat Co. Lab
With more than 20 years of experience across freshwater, fish and bat ecology, Mark brings deep ecological expertise to every project. His work combines scientific rigour, practical field experience and a commitment to building better knowledge and outcomes for bats across Aotearoa.
Through The Bat Co. Lab, Mark combines specialist consultancy with practical tools and innovative approaches to bat monitoring. He is also passionate about making ecological knowledge more accessible and creating opportunities for communities to contribute to bat conservation.
Our project partners
With thanks
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Te Mata Park, Biodiversity Hawkes Bay and Cape Sanctuary for partnering with us on this project.
We are incredibly grateful to have their support in helping us learn more about and protect these unique species.
Support bat conservation in action
Support from our community helps turn bat conservation into real, measurable action. Donations fund fieldwork, detector deployment, rapid data analysis, and community-led projects that improve understanding of bat populations and the environments they depend on. Every contribution directly supports practical, science-led work on the ground.
Want to get involved?
Do you live within the project area? Interested in having bat detectors placed on your property? Sign up to the National Bat Survey following the steps via the page below.
Support the project and help make this research possible. Your sponsorship goes towards the time, expertise and fieldwork needed to monitor and protect our local bat populations.
Follow our journey.
