Global retailers taste NZ mānuka honey offerings
Thousands of honey retailers and professionals worldwide are getting a taste of the remarkable properties of New Zealand mānuka honey.
A major campaign is in its final stages to gain support for a commodity levy for the bee industry.
The proposal is to levy of 10 cents per kilogram on beekeepers who produce 750kg of honey per year. It’s estimated that a ‘yes’ vote for the levy would raise about $2 million annually.
Apiculture New Zealand chief executive Karin Kos says the industry body has run a national roadshow going to 10 main centres, had individual meetings with some bee keepers and also communicated to the industry via their publication NZ Beekeeper.
Kos says Apiculture is currently a voluntary membership organisation. It came together two years ago when all sectors of the industry – including beekeepers, marketers and affiliates such as Federated Farmers – joined forces to form the present organisation. But she says times are changing due to the growth in the industry
“The apiculture industry in NZ has grown phenomenally,” Kos told Rural News.
“Ten years ago honey exports were $50m, now they are $350m. There are now 900,000 beehives NZ-wide, up from only 400,000 ten years ago.
“With that huge growth has come a lot of pressure on the beekeeping industry. We need good bee health and good biosecurity systems, and we need investment to remain a sustainable industry.”
Kos believes being a voluntary organisation was a good start, but now is needed a fully professional body seen as having full industry support and funding for R&D.
“We made a good start with Apiculture NZ, but we need to step up as an industry and put some serious investment in our sector.
“And we need to work closely with government. While we won’t always agree with what they do we need to be professional in how we work with them and how we advocate on behalf of our members.”
The levy is aimed at commercial beekeepers with about 26 hives or more, but Kos says other smaller scale beekeepers can still join Apiculture NZ.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
Alliance has announced a series of capital raise roadshow event, starting on 29 September in Tuatapere, Southland.
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