Ngaro Huruhuru – Native Bee (Leioproctus fulvescens) is the FIRST to be crowned New Zealand Bug of the Year 2023!!!


Aotearoa is home to over 20,000 species of insects and spiders – and there are still more that need to be discovered! The Entomological Society of New Zealand wants to make sure YOU have the tools to discover the insects and spiders that are living all around you!

We have 24 nominees vying for NZ Bug of the Year. Learn more about the nominees by clicking on the image below or going to the iNaturalist.nz Project Page to find more info and images of each of the nominees. Then, follow (or initiate) campaigns for your favourites on social media (use #BugOfTheYear2023 and tag us @NZEntoSoc).

Voting opens 14 Nov 2022. Winner announced 14 Feb 2023.

All images from iNaturalist.nz with author attribution on the organism page.

Click HERE to purchase a poster showing off all of this year’s nominees!

check out the 2023 Nominees

Click on an insect to learn more!
Antlion Lacewing
Weeleus acutus
Ngaro Huruhuru – Native Bee
Leioproctus fulvescens
Chorus Cicada
Amphipsalta zelandica
Kapowai – Carové’s Giant Dragonfly
Uropetala carovei
New Zealand Praying Mantis
Orthodera novaezealandiae
Ngaro Tara – Three-lined Hover Fly
Helophilus seelandicus
Pepeke Nguturoa – Giraffe Weevil
Lasiorhynchus barbicornis 
Homer Grasshopper
Sigaus homerensis
Ngaro WīwiLarge Black Hunting Wasp
Priocnemis monachus
Kahuwai – Black Tunnelweb Spider
Porrhothele antipodiana
Knobbled Weevil
Hadramphus tuberculatus
Orange-Spotted Ladybird Beetle
Coccinella leonina
Helms’s Stag Beetle
Geodorcus helmsi
Namu – Sand Fly
Austrosimulium australense
North Island Lichen Moth
Declana atronivea
Pepe Tuna – Pūriri Moth
Aenetus virescens
Robust Grasshopper
Brachaspis robustus
Prickly Stick Insect
Acanthoxyla prasina
Tunga Rere – Huhu Beetle
Prionoplus reticularis
Upokorua – Southern Michelin Ant
Amblyopone australis
Australasian Green Shield Bug
Glaucias amyoti
Wētāpunga
Deinacrida heteracantha
Lemon Tree Borer Wasp
Xanthocryptus novozealandicus
Kahukōwhai – Yellow Admiral Butterfly
Vanessa itea

did you find a new bug? inaturalist.nz can help you identify it!

Try out some colouring pages and activities!