For the last couple of seasons I’ve been quietly working towards my bat competencies under Mike Jones of Tou-Roa Ecology. Most of that training has been in South Canterbury, on DOC’s long-tailed bat monitoring programme around Geraldine. It has meant a lot of late nights: harp traps, thermal scopes, radio receivers, and a lot of very small, very indignant bats.
I’m pleased to say Wild Ecology now offers bat (pekapeka) management services across Northland, Auckland and Waikato.
Why bats come up in consenting
Aotearoa has two surviving native bat species, and they are our only native land mammals. The North Island long-tailed bat is classed as Threatened – Nationally Critical, the highest threat ranking there is. Both species are absolutely protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, and bats and their habitat are a matter of national importance under section 6(c) of the RMA.
Bats are a consenting issue mainly because of trees. Long-tailed bats roost in cavities, under loose bark and in epiphytes, and they move between a set of roost trees. A tree felled with bats inside is very likely to kill or injure them. They also don’t only use native forest. Roosts have been found in pine, poplar, willow, eucalyptus, oak and acacia. So a shelterbelt or an old pine on a farm subdivision can matter just as much as a patch of bush.
Pragmatic, and only when it’s needed
Not every site needs a bat survey, and I won’t suggest one if it isn’t warranted. The first question is always a simple one: does the DOC Bat Roost Protocol actually apply to your project? That means checking whether bats have been recorded in the wider area, and whether the vegetation you need to remove has any potential roost features. If the answer is no, I’ll say so clearly in the ecological assessment and we move on.
If bats are a real consideration, the work is scaled to the risk. The best result is usually avoiding the roost tree altogether. Where that isn’t possible, the protocol steps are followed properly so the clearance can go ahead with confidence.
What I can help with
- Bat screening as part of an ecological assessment: desktop records, habitat and roost-feature appraisal.
- Acoustic surveys using automatic bat monitors (ABMs), including survey design, deployment and call analysis. These run between October and April, when bats are most active.
- Roost tree assessments for trees proposed for removal.
- Pre-felling roost checks under DOC’s Bat Roost Protocols, including ABM monitoring and thermal-assisted inspection.
- Bat management plans, consent conditions and s92 responses.
- Specialist back-up when it’s needed. Where a project needs catching, handling, radio-tracking or other work requiring an authorised bat handler, I can bring in qualified bat ecologists from my wider network, often at short notice.
Where I’m at
I’m registered on DOC’s Bat Handling Competencies system (BHC 0208). I’ve been signed off as competent in assessing tree roost sites with ABMs and in roost finding, both high-risk competencies for tree felling under the Bat Roost Protocols. I’ve also been signed off on harp-trap extraction at roost entrances and on radio-transmitter watches for long-tailed bats. My handling, banding and roost-watch competencies are still in progress. I’d rather be upfront about that, and where a job needs those skills, that’s exactly what my network is for.
Bat work I’ve been involved in
Pīroa Conservation Trust collaborative bat survey, 2026. Fifty-nine automatic bat detectors were deployed across the Pīroa and Brynderwyn area between February and April 2026. This was the largest coordinated bat survey yet in that part of Northland, run by the Trust with Northland Regional Council, Patuharakeke, landowners and local ecologists. Wild Ecology helped with fieldwork and with call analysis.
Sabulite Road, Kelston, Auckland. Pre-felling checks of trees proposed for removal, reviewing the bat management plan, analysing automatic bat monitor (ABM) data, and liaising with contractors on site.
Private projects, South Auckland. Bat input on a number of private development projects across South Auckland.
Kakahu long-tailed bat monitoring programme, DOC Geraldine (January 2025 and 2026). Most of my hands-on training happened here, in the Kakahu, Talbot Forest and Peel Forest areas of South Canterbury, under Mike Jones.
Talk to me early
With bats, timing matters. Acoustic surveys need to happen between October and April, and potential roost trees shouldn’t be felled over winter (May to September), when bats are in torpor and can’t escape. If you have vegetation clearance coming up, or a council request for information asking about bats, it’s worth getting in touch before the season gets away on you.
Madara (Maddy) Vilde, Principal Ecologist, Wild Ecology Ltd
maddy@wildecology.co.nz