New Zealand Beekeepers Move Towards Single National Organisation

Currently, NZ Beekeeping Inc (NZBI) represents commercial beekeepers, while Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) is a broadchurch organisation representing all those in the industry including the large number of 'hobby beekeepers'.

But at an online meeting held this month by ApiNZ, an overwhelming number of those attending agreed to change its constitution, allowing the formation of a new entity - nominally called Honey and Bees NZ - and for it to have a 'commercial focus'.

Honey and Bees NZ Will Focus on Commercial Beekeepers

ApiNZ chief executive Karin Kos says having this vote and getting members' support was the first step towards amalgamating the two organisations.

Both ApiNZ and NZBI have been working towards this goal for nearly two years, and both have travelled up and down the country seeking feedback from their respective members.

The move to a single organisation to represent the beekeeping industry has largely been driven because it wasn't financially viable having two organisations with slightly different objectives.

"The new entity with its commercial focus will mean that the new board will be made up only of commercial beekeepers and only they will have voting rights," Kos told Rural News.

"The hobby beekeepeers and others who are currently with ApiNZ will not have a vote. However, the others are very welcome to become members of Honey and Bees," she says.

Kos says while the focus of the new organisation will be commercial, there are other issues that it will deal with such as bee health, which is common to all keepers of bees.

Industry Leaders Welcome the Move

Ian Fletcher, who represents NZBI, describes the move as positive and says it means that we can get on and deal with the issues that face commercial beekeeping in NZ.

His organisation represents what he describes as the medium operators - not the large corporate operator.

He says the decision to form the new entity is a good start of a process and hopes it will lead to things being better for commercial beekeeping in several ways.

"While this doesn't solve the issues, it's a framework to get organised and help commercial beekeepers express their issues and inform government about what's going on," he says.

Commercial Beekeepers Manage the Majority of Hives

Fletcher points out that there are up to 8,000 people who keep bees in NZ, but only about 330 are actual commercial operators - meaning they produce honey or provide pollination services.

"In actual fact, 97% of the hives in NZ are managed by commercial beekeepers," he says.

Honey and Bees NZ has now been incorporated and the next phase is to put together a transitional group that will fully establish the new organisation.

A new board will have to be elected and they will have the task of setting up a strategy for the future.