The National Bat Survey

Uniting passion and expertise for smarter bat conservation

Our community brings together curious newcomers, passionate bat enthusiasts, conservation groups, ecology professionals and businesses from across Aotearoa. Together, we are building a clearer picture of where our native bats live, how they move and the habitats they depend on. Whether you're taking your first steps into bat ecology or carrying out professional monitoring and assessments, our high-quality detectors and powerful Bat Pack data processing make it easier to turn curiosity into meaningful discoveries.

This year’s New Zealand National Bat Survey is an opportunity to be part of something bigger. Every contribution helps build a growing national picture of our bats and brings us closer to understanding, and protecting, these remarkable animals. See what others are discovering, contribute your own findings and join a collaborative effort to make bat conservation smarter, stronger and more connected across Aotearoa.

OFFICIAL SURVEY KICKING OFF OCTOBER 2026.

Sign up for the 2026/27 bat survey season!

If you already own a bat detector, have purchased one from us, or are volunteering on a Pekapeka Patrol project anywhere in New Zealand follow these 6 simple steps to start contributing your data:

Create an Acoustic Pipeline account
Create your account here.
Send us your username
Email your Acoustic Pipeline username to nzbatsurveyor@thebatcolab.co.nz and we'll send you an invitation to join the project.
Accept your invitation
Look out for an email from noreply@bto.org. Open the invitation and follow the link to join the New Zealand National Bat Survey project. Log in to your Acoustic Pipeline account using your username and password, then accept the invitation.
Download the BTO Desktop App
Once you've joined the project, download the app from your Acoustic Pipeline homepage dashboard.
Upload your data
Use the BTO Desktop App to upload your recordings. Watch the how-to video if you need a hand.
Get your results
We'll email you when your results are ready to view.

This year’s core survey is running from October 2026 to the end of April 2027 (with the full bat year being 1 July - 30 June) - upload your data anytime!