The pekapeka tou roa, or long tailed bat is one of only two endemic land mammals in Aotearoa, with the other being the short tailed bat. Tamaki Makaurau is home to pekapeka tou roa populations in Te Wao nui a Tiriwa, Hunua Ranges, Pukekohe , Riverhead Forest and some other fragmented areas. Overall little is known about their exact spread, population size, and population health.

The pekapeka roosts in large old trees, both native and exotic. Our bats are under constant threat from animal pests and habitat loss through urban development, including the removal of their roosting trees. Due to their size, speed, and nocturnal behavior bats are hard to monitor. There is so much we don’t know about them! The one thing we know for sure is that their conservation status is at CRITICAL. This means we could lose them. We need help.

Monitoring for bats is largely undertaken by consultants, whose time is expensive and monitoring is often carried out in response to specifics around resource consent applications. In some instances, bats are often just an afterthought in the development process and discovered at worksites only after consents have been granted and works have begun. We need to pre-empt this “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff approach” and get into possible bat habitats to assess them well before development comes knocking.

With the right support, training and equipment, effective pekapeka monitoring can be carried out by local volunteers. Through investigating likely habitat, this monitoring could identify new populations and habitats being utilised by pekapeka, and inform future planning and developments around mitigation for protecting pekapeka and the habitats they utilise.