To determine whether evidence for infection with Blood samples were collected during October and November 2019 from a convenience sample of red deer (n = 57) at slaughter. Equine blood samples (n = 50) were convenience-sampled from those submitted to a veterinary pathology laboratory for routine testing in January 2020. Blood samples, collected for a previous study from a convenience sample of Huntaway dogs (n = 115) from rural regions throughout the North and South Islands of New Zealand between August 2018 and December 2020, were also tested. DNA was extracted and quantitative PCR was used to detect the There were 6/57 (10%) samples positive for Red deer can potentially sustain low infection intensities of Cq: Quantification cycle; LOQ: Limits of quantification; MPSP: Major piroplasm surface protein; qPCR: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction.