ApiNZ Members Say ‘Yes’ to New Group, and Appoint Transitionary Leaders

Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) members voted, near-unanimously, to adopt a new constitution giving control to commercial beekeepers and sidelining hobby apiarists and the honey marketing sector at their AGM on June 5. Now attention turns to attracting new members and a new leadership group.

The 2026 Apiculture New Zealand AGM on June 5 was the last under that name, with members voting to move to a new constitution and new name, Honey and Bees NZ, to assist unification with NZ Beekeeping Inc.

There was around 30 minutes discussion at the online meeting ahead of the vote on the key resolution of whether a new constitution aimed at uniting ApiNZ and fellow national beekeeping group New Zealand Beekeeping Inc (NZBI) should be accepted. Then, with only four votes in opposition, and around 60 voting members present, chair Nathan Guy was happy to announce it “overwhelmingly passed”. The society will now operate as ‘Honey and Bees NZ’ while an “interim transition group” progresses changes.

Ahead of opening the floor for discussions on the matter crucial to the future of the group – where the alternative was a resolution to dissolve the society – a treasurer’s report reminded the members of the financial peril. Losses of $185,000 in 2024 and $78,000 in 2025 were met with a more modest profit in the latest year, but only because of a $150,000 grant from the Honey Industry Trust. All up net equity of $66,000 was reported if the group had wound-up at 31 March 2026, and an estimated $20,000 would be left at the bank by the end of June.

The financial performance of ApiNZ was made clear to members, including a recent history of falling income and resulting losses, at their June 5 AGM.

It Takes Two to Unite

Following the frank financial report, ApiNZ members raised questions and concerns over aspects of the new constitution which has been developed, following considerable consultation with beekeepers. It aims to provide a much lower-cost model, put commercial beekeepers at its centre, and create a place for better “unity” within the industry. Chief among the concerns voiced was whether NZBI, who helped write the new structure, would follow through on winding up their group, thus encouraging their members to join Honey and Bees NZ and achieve a semblance of “unity”.

“It will be up to our members to decide, when we have a meeting,” NZBI president Jane Lorimer stated to the ApiNZ AGM when the question of her group’s commitment level to the merger was raised and consequently put to her.

Despite that ball ultimately being in the NZBI members’ court, both Lorimer and fellow NZBI executive councillor Russell Berry – attended the ApiNZ AGM as life members dating back to ApiNZ’s precursor, the National Beekeepers’ Association (NBA) – gave resounding support to the Honey and Bees NZ concept at the meeting. 

“We are fully behind trying to form a single organisation, with other groups like hobbyist beekeepers and marketers to be involved, but it primarily run by commercial beekeepers,” Lorimer said, while Berry added “I would strongly suggest we are all on board”.

Several members reminded the meeting that NZBI had formed due to dissatisfaction at the last ‘uniting’ of the industry though – ApiNZ’s formation in 2016 as a merger of the NBA and Federated Farmers Bee Industry Group – and they were weary it might happen again.

“We have no intention of setting up another new organisation,” Berry reaffirmed his position though.

Nathan Guy led his final AGM with ApiNZ on June 5, via video link from Wellington, having spent four years as the independent chair, while Karin Kos is continuing as chief executive through the immediate transition period to Honey and Bees NZ at least.

“We already have two and we are looking to unite the two. These organisations have been working together and we will very much be voting for this.”

From the chair, Guy took confidence in the influential NZBI leaders’ statements of position to the meeting.

“I have heard enough from Russell and Jane to give me confidence that we are all holding hands together. Some of you have longer memories than me, but that is all in the past and I am focusing on the future,” Guy said.

Now On the Outside Looking In

The exclusion from positions of influence, under the new constitution, of the market sector, i.e. ‘honey packers’, and also hobbyist beekeepers was flagged as a poor decision by some, with the sidelining of the “non-commercial” beekeepers drawing the most discussion.

“It is to become a much more commercially-focused organisation,” Auckland non-commercial beekeeper Ken Brown told the online meeting.

“The touted goals of the new organisation to represent New Zealand beekeepers and bee health seem at odds by deliberately excluding non-commercial beekeepers and other stakeholders from meaningful representation. This raises concern at further fracturing of the beekeeping, honey and pollination community. I strongly encourage the new organisation to add registered beekeeper clubs and regional beekeeping organisations as voting members and recognise they are the solution to better educating hobbyists and encouraging best practice beekeeping, rather than the cause of the problems in the industry.”

Several other members extolled the benefits of keeping hobby apiarists inside the tent, and the possibility of adapting the constitution down the line to better meet other stakeholders’ needs was mentioned.

“The proposal may not be perfect,” Guy summed up, “but we have listened and come up with a joint proposal which NZBI and Apiculture New Zealand can live with to move forward as one. It brings a single beekeeper entity to the fore.”

Decisive Decisions, and One Left for Later

Once the key decision to move to a new constitution was made, a second resolution to adopt a fees structure of $600 annually for commercial beekeepers, plus an extra $1/hive for all hives over 500 owned was unanimously adopted. Despite their inability to vote on key matters or be elected to the board, a fees schedule for “associate” member status for non-commercial beekeepers, beekeeping clubs, honey packing companies without beekeeping operations, industry suppliers, and research organisations was included.

The members also agreed to allow the “interim transition group” to be convened to shepherd the group through until a governance board is elected. A more contentious resolution around how many co-signatories it would take to raise notices of motion at general meetings of Honey and Bees NZ was decided to be kicked down the road to when the restructured group is better established.

East Cost beekeeper Bill Savage is one of four commercial beekeepers tasked with overseeing the transition from ApiNZ to Honey and Bees NZ.

Transition Group Takes Shape and Meets

The week following the momentous AGM saw the new constitution lodged and Honey and Bees NZ receive incorporated status, with moves to secure banking facilities also taken.

Canterbury beekeeper Barry Hantz is the only South Island-based member on the interim transitionary group for Honey and Bees NZ.

The interim transition group was also formed and then met on June 12. As per the constitution adopted this includes four commercial beekeepers, two nominated by ApiNZ and two by NZBI. Bill Savage, owner of WildCape Honey on the East Coast, fills one ApiNZ nomination and Barry Hantz, of Hantz Honey in Canterbury, the other. NZBI’s nominations are long-time executive member Cameron Martin, owner of Galatea Apiaries in Bay of Plenty, and Jaime McRae, owner of ApiLife Ltd in Masterton. Joining them in advisory roles are Tony Wright, the recent deputy chair of ApiNZ and UMF Honey Association chief executive, and NZBI’s well-established advisor who played a key role in shaping the new constitution, Ian Fletcher.

ApiNZ chief executive Karin Kos is continuing to work alongside the transitionary group to undertake key tasks, with a call for membership and potential board appointees expected in the very near future.

Since the ApiNZ AGM the NZBI executive has met and they are expected to meet again soon to work through key “policy” issues, before a final determination of if and how they manage membership transfers and the finer details of amalgamation.

Until that occurrence though, Honey and Bees NZ will not have achieved the union and thus ‘unity’ which was discussed and desired at the 2025 AGM of ApiNZ 11 months ago. After nearly a year of public consultation with beekeepers across numerous regions, online and then a smaller advisory group and draft constitution circulated, the departing chair is hopeful.

“This has been a marathon and we haven’t got to the finish yet,” Guy closed the June 5 meeting with, adding, “So, we carry on running, holding hands together, and we will be stronger”.