Tuesday, 01 February 2022 10:53

Sticky spot

Written by The Hound

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OPINION: This old mutt notes that NZ's mānuka honey sector recently lost a trademark case in the UK, which may end up costing the sector big money.

However, it looks like taxpayers could also be big losers as well.

It's been reported that MBIE - backed by the Government - has already lent the country's mānuka honey producers $1.7m, through the Kānoa Regional Economic Development & Investment Fund, to pay its legal bills.

However, that money is now unlikely to ever be paid back to the taxpayer, because the contractual terms forgave the debt if they lost their trademark bid (which they now have).

It seems Regional Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash now must decide how much more money he is willing to plough into court costs and lawyers' fees and to gamble more public money on obtaining an international legal precedent that, thus far, has failed wherever it has been attempted.

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