“Agreement in Principle” for New Beekeeping Group

This story is available in audio form through Apiarist's Advocate Pod on Spotify and Apple podcasts, or here.

Industry groups Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) and New Zealand Beekeeping Inc (NZBI) have found themselves distracted by the unwelcome yellow-legged hornet incursion response in the last month, but some small progress towards a more united industry body has been made they say.

Beekeepers would surely have no qualms about ApiNZ CEO Karin Kos and NZBI advisor Ian Fletcher admitting that moving plans for a potential new national beekeeping industry body forward was not priority number one in November.

It was hoped that a draft constitution might be provided to a small group of industry members to review by now, but that timeframe looks to have moved into December as meetings between ApiNZ, NZBI, and often with New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity (NZBB) chief executive Niha Long, have been focused on the yellow-legged hornet recently.

“We have still made progress and bringing several groups together it does highlight how we do work well together and I need to recognise the efforts of Niha and Ian in that process. It shows the importance in having a united industry body,” Kos says.

Both the ApiNZ CEO and NZBI’s Fletcher says they have “agreement in principle” over two issues that have proven contentious regarding a potential new industry body, namely the role of corporate beekeeping businesses and also how existing groups might be affiliated to any new body.

“We have made progress. There were those couple of sticking points, but I think we have an agreement in principle. We found a way through. We are now going back to our respective boards and I am cautiously optimistic we will have something to go out to an advisory group in the next week or two,” Kos says.

After a draft constitution is put in front of a selected group of industry stakeholders, it is expected to go out to the wider industry for consultation before any potential implementation.