30,287 copies distributed monthly – to every rural mailbox in Canterbury and the West Coast
September 2021 Edition
INSIDE
THIS EDITION Farmer gives back
Supreme Award winner Jarved Allan (centre) receives his award from sponsor Kevin powell and National Honey Competition head judge maureen Conquer.
p5 Going paperless Winning buzz: the people’s Choice Award winner in the ApiNZ National photography competition was Lindenberg Gomes for his bee-filled portrait.
p19 Seed drilling
p23 Worksafe warning
p50
barry Hantz and Carolyn mcmahon of Hantz Honey in Leeston receive the ApiNZ Sustainability Award from chair bruce Wills.
Producers buzzing with success Canterbury honey producers were setting the standard at this year’s Apiculture New Zealand National Honey Competition.
❚ by Kent Caddick After judging New Zealand’s best honey producers were named at the Apiculture New Zealand’s (ApiNZ ) annual national conference. The 2021 Supreme Award went to Jarved Allan of 100% Pure New Zealand Honey based in Timaru. Allan received four gold medals and four silver medals for a variety of honeys including liquid honey, naturally granulated honey, creamed honey, honeydew and cut comb. Meanwhile, Leeston’s Hantz Honey received the Apiculture New Zealand Sustainability Award for their commitment to sustainability within their business. Head judge Maureen Conquer said the judging panel had been extremely impressed with the quality and taste of the honeys entered. “It was an absolute pleasure to sample these honeys over the past day and a half
and extremely difficult to determine the winners. “The number and quality of entries is continuing to increase each year, showing the true wealth of talent in our industry,” she said. All entries were blind tasted, and an international scale of points was used to determine the winners across 12 main categories. The Supreme Award runner-up was Rotorua-based, non-commercial beekeeper Kim Poynter who received three gold medals, one silver and a bronze. In third place were Jody and Ralph Mitchell of Kaimai Range Honey from Tauranga who received one gold, two silvers and a bronze medal. The Supreme winner in the ApiNZ National Photography competition was Hazel Moran, a non-commercial beekeeper from Auckland, while the People’s Choice Award was given to Lindenberg Gomes for his bee-filled portrait. Apiculture New Zealand chief executive
Karin Kos said the awards were highly contested amongst beekeepers and honey producers. “Our industry knows that a medal in the ApiNZ National Honey Awards indicates the highest quality of honey. We have so many beautiful honeys available in New Zealand, but the National Honey Award winners have produced something truly special.” Awards were also presented to those making outstanding achievements in apiculture science, innovation, sustainability and photography. Dr Phil Lester of Victoria University of Wellington was awarded the Peter Molan trophy for his exceptional contribution to apiculture science, while New Zealand-based firm Ecrotek received the Roy Paterson Trophy for apicultural innovation for their plant-based, carbon-neutral bee frames. Hawke’s Bay beekeeper John Berry received the ‘Unsung Hero Award’ for his outstanding contribution to the industry.