5 minute read
5 minutes with Karin Kos
CEO of Apiculture New Zealand
What is your background and how did you become involved in apiculture?
I was brought up in a family horticultural business and have always enjoyed working in the primary sector. I held communication and marketing roles in the New Zealand seafood and wool sectors. When the role as Chief Executive of the newly established Apiculture New Zealand came up 4 years ago, it was too good an opportunity to miss – it combined my interest in promoting the primary sector and challenged me to lift my communications skills to lead a growing industry.
We last spoke to you in February 2019, when a commodity levy was being proposed – what has changed since then?
While it was disappointing the commodity levy vote was not successful, our work to lift the productivity and skills of our sector, and the value of honey, continues. As an industry we have seen exponential growth and our focus is making sure we have a sustainable beekeeping model over the long-term. That means attention to bee health and good biosecurity systems, while identifying tangible value opportunities for our members. While mānuka honey has generally continued to perform strongly in export markets, the recent challenge has been the fall in prices for other New Zealand honeys over the last few years. To support those other honeys, Apiculture New Zealand has recently embarked on a collective story-telling drive to educate consumers about New Zealand’s diverse range of native honey varieties. We have joined forces with New Zealand Story, a government agency to create The New Zealand Honey Story: a suite of compelling promotional materials about the lesser known honeys. So, while the mighty mānuka has given us a honey profile envied around the world, we thought it was time to let other honeys, like rātā, kāmahi and pōhutukawa, shine.
How has the beekeeping sector stood up to the COVID-19 lockdown and level changes?
The apiculture sector has been fortunate to be given essential services status over the COVID lockdown and beyond. This means beekeepers are able to keep looking after bees and continue to provide honey for the domestic and international markets. Additionally, international demand for mānuka honey has benefited from
International demand for mānuka honey has benefited from consumers responding to COVID-19 with a renewed interest in natural food sources like honey. ”
consumers responding to COVID-19 with a renewed interest in natural food sources like honey. As a result, we have seen record honey export results for the last 4 months. Looking ahead, awareness of mānuka honey has certainly been raised internationally, however, it is likely to be some time before we know how much of that demand will be retained long-term.
Are you currently working on any new research and development projects?
Without a commodity levy, which would have seen a significant proportion of funding going towards research, we have not been able to undertake any significant research and development projects. However, good progress has been made regarding a couple of ongoing programmes, including getting EPA approval in 2019 to release a biocontrol insect (Pauesia nigrovaria) parasitoid for the destructive giant willow aphid (GWA). For beekeepers, farmers and landowners the introduction of the parasitoid from California means the willow now has a chance against this pest. Willows are a major source of nectar and pollen for bees during spring following the winter months' food shortage. Without the vital food willows provide, the bees' ability to produce honey and pollinate food crops is greatly compromised. The 3-year research programme is being led by Scion, funded under MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund and brings together Apiculture New Zealand, the New Zealand Poplar and Willow Research Trust, the River Managers
Group and Zespri International, all providing significant cash and in-kind support. Research partners include Plant and Food Research, the University of Otago and the USDA Forest Service.
Another important research project is the Bee Colony Loss Survey, which will shortly be sent to every beekeeper in New Zealand to get baseline information on bee health to monitor managed honeybee colony loss and survival over time. The survey is a critical tool for our industry as it helps us gain a better understanding of trends and emerging challenges around colony losses. It also helps steer the direction of further research and other actions needed.
There has been new information released about levels of glyphosate (weed killer) being present in mānuka honey. What are your thoughts on this and how should beekeepers manage this?
In releasing the results, New Zealand Food Safety (part of Ministry for Primary Industries) advised consumers there is no food safety concern from glyphosate residues in honey. We would also note that many of New Zealand’s native honeys, including mānuka, are gathered from the wild, by and large from hill country and bush, which is not affected by agricultural residues. However, beekeepers are very aware of this issue and do their part by carefully considering where they place their hives and regularly communicating with landowners to avoid placing hives near spraying. In addition, our processors and packers are very aware of the need to test for residues so they can manage and address this issue proactively. Apiculture New Zealand is currently talking to Government agencies and other primary sector organisations to see what more can be done collectively.
Have you got any events or seminars coming up?
COVID-19 restrictions have meant we have had to cancel and postpone events and seminars but we have taken to online seminars and webinars, with Zoom meetings becoming the norm. Over the winter months we’ve been running a series of webinars for our members on a range of topics from the latest bee research, to managing the audit process to giving them tips for how to apply the New Zealand Honey Story to their businesses. We look forward to having face-toface meetings in time, with our popular annual national conference planned for mid-2021.
