$2b boost in NZ exports to EU
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
Tony Wright says The EU FTA has given a major boost to the NZ honey industry’s claim to exclusive rights to the name ‘mānuka’ honey.
The new Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and the European Union has given a major boost to the New Zealand honey industry’s claim to exclusive rights to the name ‘mānuka’ honey.
In a chapter on Māori Trade and Economic Cooperation, the FTA specifically defines mānuka as the Māori word used exclusively for the Leptospermum scoparium tree grown in Aotearoa New Zealand, and derivative products such as honey and oil. It also describes mānuka as culturally important to Māori as a tāonga and traditional medicine.
“The exact text that they put in there is exactly what we’re looking for to go to the next step, which is to secure geographical indications for mānuka honey,” said mānuka advocate Tony Wright.
Currently Comvita’s head of industry affairs, Wright has long been involved in the efforts to preserve the name mānuka for New Zealand producers, through Apiculture New Zealand, UMF Honey Association, Te Pitau Ltd and the Mānuka Honey Appellation Society.
He says it’s a significant development.
“What it means is that Europe’s basically said, ‘Yes we agree, we will recognise mānuka honey as being uniquely from New Zealand’.”
The FTA signing came a couple of weeks after Wright spoke at the recent Apiculture NZ Conference in Christchurch, outlining progress in the multi-pronged effort to secure the rights to ‘mānuka ’ internationally.
He revealed at the conference two findings from new research, not yet formally published, that indicate significant differences between New Zealand mānuka trees and honey and their Australian rivals.
One used Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) to analyse honey’s chemical composition, and the other used something called an FST score to analyse the genetics of the trees.
Wright said the FST analysis showed some variation within New Zealand “but nowhere near the significant difference between here and Tasmania”.
He said it will be evidence to support future applications.
“The Australians can’t say that their leptospermum honey is the same as ours,” he told Rural News.
“It’s another one of those proof points that says what’s happened here in New Zealand with our unique environment has shifted the genetics in a way that the product is different.”
Wright explained to the conference there are several methods of protecting a name, including certification trademarks (CTMs), geographical indicators (GI) and protected food names.
All rely on establishing a reputation for your product, he said.
“For example, someone buying champagne expects it to come from France and expects it to have certain attributes and that’s a similar sort of thing that we’re trying to get across the line here.”
Wright said naming rights meant that the producer is protected but so are the consumers because they can rely on the product to be authentic and have the qualities that they want.
In December, the UK Intellectual Property Office declined to register mānuka as a trademark, in a ruling welcomed by Australian interests who had opposed the application.
An appeal is underway, said Wright.
“We think they got that wrong. We’re quite sure that they got a lot of aspects of that decision wrong.”
Wright said some places such as China would need to see a certification trademark or similar level of protection in New Zealand.
According to ASB, Fonterra's plan to sell it's Anchor and Mainlands brands could inject $4.5 billion in additional spending into the economy.
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.

OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…