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 powerful Bat Pack data processing make it easier to turn curiosity into meaningful discoveries.

The 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 as a Pekapeka Patroller to make bat conservation smarter, stronger and more connected across Aotearoa.

Sign up for the 26/27 bat survey season!

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

Create an Acoustic Pipeline account
Create your account here.
Email 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 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 to 30 June), but you can upload your data anytime!

The 26/27 season at a glance

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Project contributors

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Survey sites

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Sound files analysed

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Bat recordings

Our local projects

Explore the projects helping us build a clearer picture of pekapeka across Aotearoa. Some offer opportunities for you to actively get involved as a Pekapeka Patroller, whilst others are specialist research projects taking place on the ground that you can follow and learn more about. Together, the insights and data from these projects contribute to the bigger picture, supporting the National Bat Survey and strengthening our understanding of Aotearoa’s native bats.

Active - Phase 1

Karamū River Catchment

Volunteering open Funding open

Hawke’s Bay

Bat detection
on the city’s doorstep.

View project →

Active - Phase 1

Mohi Bush Specialist project

Funding open

Hawke’s Bay

A colony hiding
in plain sight?

View project →

Active - Phase 1

Rowe Bush Specialist project

Funding open

Hawke’s Bay

A forest nobody knew had bats, until now.

View project →

Active - Phase 1

Echoes Around Te Mata

Volunteering open Funding open

Hawke’s Bay

Discovering a hidden world in an iconic landscape.

View project →

Data insights by project 26/27

A national view of monitoring effort and activity, pulling together results as projects across the country report in.

Project	Survey Nights	Bat Passes Recorded	Call-type breakdown?	Last update	Status
Karamū Catchment	60	0	0 bat calls	29 Sep 2026	Active
Mohi Bush	901	10,090	66% 6% 27% 2%	18 Sep 2026	Active
Rowe Bush	990	22,281	85% 15%	20 Sep 2026	Active
Echoes Around Te Mata	182	1,349	100%	29 Sep 2026	Active