Roper says the survey aims to be fun while gathering important information for a national database.
“The bat detectors are little square boxes that fit in the palm of your hand,” Roper said.
“They have an ultrasonic microphone that records bat noises undetectable to humans.
The Bat Co.Lab founder and ecologist Mark Roper says there have been sightings of bats in Havelock North. Photo/ Ian Davidson-Watts
“All participants need to do is attach it to a fence post or something similar in their backyard. If your property overlooks a stream, point it toward it as bats fly along looking for insects.
“Then it is just a matter of changing the battery when necessary and uploading the data.”
The detectors can also be used for backyard bird surveys and recording rats.
“This can be critical information for pest control and is a shift for New Zealand, adding valuable citizen science data from an easy-to-collect level,” Roper said.
He said Te Mata Peak fits the niche as the centre of the search.
“Last year, a runner in Havelock North’s Tainui Reserve reported seeing a bat, and a security camera on the Havelock North hills also captured footage, so there is some evidence they are in the area.
“Just last week, someone walking near Havelock North High School reported a sighting.
“We have also surveyed the Maraetotara Valley, where bats might live and could potentially come down to Havelock North from there.
“The reserves in Havelock are full of old and exotic trees that would make good roosting spots.”
He said there was a sighting of a bat at Pekapeka Swamp just south of Hastings around 2010.
Pekapeka is thought to be named after bats that inhabited nearby caves, as pekapeka is Māori for bat.
The council spokesperson said HBRC is obliged under the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity to record areas with highly mobile fauna (including bats), to help manage adverse effects to maintain viable populations and provide information to communities.
“Expert advice tells us the most important thing in reversing population decline in this species is to find maternity roost sites so mammalian predator control and habitat protection can be implemented in the most effective locations. Survey data is crucial for this,” the spokesperson said.
A colony of endangered long-tailed bats was found roosting on a farm in Central Hawke’s Bay last year.
The long-tailed bat is critically endangered.
Bats are Aotearoa’s only native land mammals.
Roper, who has been an ecologist for 15 years, started his career with fish.
“Then I worked in a Hawke’s Bay forest and got interested in bats and slowly got hooked.”
The survey is limited to 50 detectors and runs from October 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026.
Our bat species
New Zealand has two bat species — the long-tailed and short-tailed — both endemic and our only native land mammals. The long-tailed bat is tiny, about the size of a mouse or an adult thumb (with a much larger wingspan). A third, the greater short-tailed bat, is believed extinct.
Biggest threats
Populations are affected by the loss of old trees and roost cavities, fragmented forests, invasive predators (such as rats, stoats, possums, and feral cats), light pollution, and tree removal during winter, when bats may be in torpor.
What is bioacoustics?
Ultrasonic detectors are special microphones that record very high-frequency sounds beyond the range of human hearing. Bats navigate and hunt by echolocation, sending out tiny sound pulses and listening for echoes. With the help of software, ecologists can identify these calls and map activity, flyways, and hotspots, guiding planting, lighting, and development.
Why bats are good for us and the environment
Bats eat night-flying insects, helping protect orchards, vineyards, gardens, and forests. Short-tailed bats also act as pollinators, most famously for the wood rose/pua o tereinga (Dactylanthus taylorii), a threatened forest plant that relies heavily on them. Their presence signals healthy habitats.
How you can help
Protect old trees and avoid tree work in winter. Join a local trapping group. Use warm, downward-facing lights. Report bat sightings and support Echoes Around Te Mata and the National Bat Survey. For more information, go to The Bat Co.Lab
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.