Beekeeping News

The New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has officially begun, and tariff rates on certain mānuka honey exports have already been cut, with more reductions to take place over the next five years. Those who have been to India recently as part of the official delegations say they expect the mā…

Beekeepers wanting to apply for “quota” to export mānuka honey to India in 2027 with a CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of US$20-$US30/kg have until 5pm on November 16 to throw their hat in the ring if they want to gain reduced tariff rates.

The first AGM of New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity (NZBB) has seen the new Trust report bad news on several fronts – the highest incidence rate of American foulbrood (AFB) in nearly 30 years, an operating loss for the third year running, all alongside the recent news that beekeepers’ per-hive l…

Comvita’s Annual Shareholder’s Meeting has seen challenges to the position of chair Bridget Coates and two of her board as decisions made over an eventful 12 months were relitigated, including by numerous former directors of the mānuka honey giant.

What are the big issues being overlooked that the incoming government needs to get right to have any chance at improving New Zealand’s lot? From superannuation, to local government, science to health, Ian Fletcher highlights the topics limiting progress and not talked about enough.

The ‘Bee Alliance’ of beekeeping, honey and pollination leaders has met for the second time and progress to meaningful results for those up and down the “value chain” is real according to several of the key players.

On holiday recently in Bali, Indonesia, beekeeper Ken Brown sought out the locals – bees and beekeepers that is. From unique native bees, to hungry hornets in action, and a captivating array of local honeys sampled, the Auckland Beekeepers Club president reports on his adventures and returning home …

It was October and November last year when yellow-legged hornet nests began to emerge en masse, but so far in spring 2026 all is quiet around the previosuly hot spot of Auckland’s North Shore. That doesn’t mean Biosecurity New Zealand (BNZ) is getting complacent though the New Zealand Bee Health and…

When the American foulbrood (AFB) National Pest Management Plan was revised recently it made an allowance for potential, future use of detection dogs. However, nothing has changed in practice as New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity (NZBB) continue to state more research is needed while no clear pa…

Greater consideration of an incorporated national group of beekeeping clubs is to be taken following a November 2 online meeting, but a final decision on whether that level of formalisation will be practical is yet to be made.

For an industry intertwined with nature, New Zealand made Kōpani Covers offer beekeepers a reusable, plant-based alternative to plastic. Designed to reduce reliance on plastic wrap, which carries environmental costs in both its production and disposal, the durable covers provide beekeepers with a pr…

New Zealand’s long-awaited changes to the National American Foulbrood (AFB) Pest Management Plan are moving towards implementation, with proposed measures including greater transparency of honey test results, compulsory employee training, and stronger compliance tools.

One of the country’s largest honey exporters recently became the country’s largest beekeeping entity as Egmont Honey acquired much of the in-Receivership Tweeddale’s Honey of Taihape. It takes their hive holding from approximately 5000 to around 22,000 and the chief executive says they expect to onl…

Evidence submitted by Mānuka Charitable Trust (MCT) to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the mānuka honey certification trademark case contains promotional website texts that propagate common fictions and have been flagged as generated by artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence... "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"...

Moves are underway to bring the beekeeping clubs of New Zealand together into a national organisation that could provide a better avenue for reaching many of the country’s 7000 hobbyist beekeepers, and create strength in numbers for bee clubs. Led by Auckland Beekeepers Club president Ken Brown, a g…

Just over two months from its launch, Honey and Bees New Zealand (HBNZ) is calling on beekeepers, whether they are members or not, to let their opinions be heard and help shape the new commercial-beekeeper-centric group.

With no new yellow-legged hornet detections since April, Biosecurity New Zealand is stepping up surveillance this spring as the risk of surviving queens emerging from winter increases. Trapping continues, new tracking technology is being introduced, and scientists are trialling freshwater eDNA testi…

On September 10, after five months of planning, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)-led “Bee Alliance” gathered in Wellington for the first time, bringing together representative groups from most corners of apiculture and even some growers.

In our September edition, we carried a report on the Kānuka Industry Hui held in Rotorua 17-18 August, Kānuka Honey: Time to Stand on Its Own. It was “unmistakable”, the report said, that the “market opportunity” for kānuka honey and kānuka oil was “already there”. Bruce Roscoe discusses “market opp…

Last month New Zealand Manuka Group published something not seen for many years in the New Zealand honey industry, a honey pricing schedule titled “Bee Up Front”. Now chief executive Phil Caskey expands on his and the company’s philosophy and vision for the industry where the UMF brand is better har…

Combining advanced manufacturing capability, rigorous quality standards and a strong commitment to sustainability, Stowers and Pact Group delivers packaging solutions that support local and export honey applications.

Hobby beekeepers lose a disproportionate rate of colonies over winter, compared to commercial operators, the NZ Colony Loss Survey has long told us. However, that same survey shows there are some simple actions hobby beekeepers can take to help improve the chances of colony survival, explains depart…

Last year Aimz rocked into her beekeeping work in October and now, with expert timing, she’s at it again, bopping away in the Bay of Plenty… It’s the end of the world as we know it – and I feel fine. With pollination just a shot away, it’s time to rock around the clock. For what it’s worth, welcome …

Last month vastly-experienced top bureaucrat Ian Fletcher took aim at Accountability in the Public Sector. This month that thought process continues with a diagnosis of the public sector’s overriding ills and a cure that might compromise some political neutrality amongst sector leaders, but will rai…

Springbank Honey’s assets will soon be for sale. A recent receivers report into the controversial and embattled beekeeping and honey trading business describes ‘discrepancies’ in asset records and incomplete information provided by the Canterbury company, which is also now the subject of liquidation…

Honey and Bees New Zealand’s (HBNZ) first five weeks of existence have proven active, with a new seven-person board room and chairperson now at the helm overseeing a back-to-basics management team. They have signalled an early win too, with the announcement of plans for a July 15-16 conference in Na…

The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) has notified Mānuka Charitable Trust that its mānuka trademark design “is likely to offend Māori” because it resembles a moko kauae — the traditional Māori tattoo worn by women on their chin.

It’s been in the wings for at least five months as the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has worked behind the scenes meeting with various beekeeping industry groups and stakeholders, and on September 10 the “New Zealand Honey and Bee Alliance” will take flight with an inaugural hui in Wellingto…

Comvita returned to profitability in the year to June through volume growth in mānuka shipments to the US and rigorous cost cutting. Chief executive officer Karl Gradon has deferred issuing earnings guidance and confirmed that Comvita will not pay a dividend for the current year.