For many New Zealand beekeepers propolis has long sat in the background as an easy add-on, a modest earner, something that can be collected with relatively little extra effort. But in recent years, it has also become a source of frustration, as global supply chains and shifting demand reshape the market in ways that don’t always favour local producers.

Comvita Ltd has attracted two new cornerstone shareholders — Fraser and Neave Ltd, a Singaporean food and beverage enterprise, and PHC Investments Ltd, an Auckland-based company whose holdings focus on the aged care sector. If Comvita’s current effort to raise up to NZD30m in new equity succeeds, Fraser and Neave (F&N) will own about 20.0% of the company. PHC Investments has already disclosed a holding of 13.1%.

Plans for a new industry group to represent commercial beekeepers are marching forward, with consultation having closed and plans to circulate a written constitution in May. Emerging as a key consideration is a delicate balancing act between pricing membership fees attainably, with achieving adequate funding.

As the calendar turns to May, and the hopes at a new and improved industry body for commercial beekeepers wind on, the time for a winter beekeeping ‘conference’ draws close. However, at this stage no national-level event is set on the beekeeping calendar.

While the leadership at the Ministry for Primary Industry’s (MPI) Biosecurity New Zealand are encouraged by a recent lack of yellow-legged hornet sightings, there is agreement that the incursion response must continue apace for at least another month before taking a new tact over winter.

Beekeeping is getting more and more challenging and a ‘sudden autumn decline’ of hives has veteran Hawke’s Bay beekeeper John Berry worried about the sustainability of beekeeping.

Gaining best value for pollination hives; thermal auditing of beehives; effective industry advocacy; and even that damn hornet – the Bay of Plenty Commercial Beekeepers group met on April 17 at the Mount Manganui offices of Zespri where, stimulated by attendance from various interested parties, a wide range of topics relevant to beekeeping and kiwifruit pollination were explored.

With the Iran-US war still resulting in closure of the Strait of Hormuz, former GCSB head Ian Fletcher surveys the playing field from New Zealand's vantage point.

Mānuka Orchard owner Logan Bowyer might have grown up on an orchard of a different kind – kiwifruit – but his dedication to the cause of bettering New Zealand’s honey industry is now well proven through his Paengaroa business. Eight years in, Mānuka Orchard is calling on any beekeepers wanting to improve their honey quality, business profitability and industry representation to utilise their wide range of services.