Balancing Act Required as New Organisation’s Constitution is Finalised

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.

April saw Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) and New Zealand Beekeeping Inc (NZBI) receive 27 submissions to an earlier-released ‘framework’ as to what a new and improved industry group might look like. Those submissions were analysed and consultation with a smaller “industry advisory group” of commercial beekeepers followed. The result has been a decision to extend the proposed base fee for membership of the group, from $400 per annum to $600, and to award one vote per full member, regardless of their financial contribution. ApiNZ chief executive Karin Kos and NZBI advisor Ian Fletcher explained the thinking to an online meeting of around 40 ApiNZ members on April 30.

ApiNZ's proposed timeline for a transition to a new organisation to serve commercial beekeepers.

“There was near consensus for a single national body, with a strong commercial beekeeper focus,” Kos says.

“What came through as a point of difference was around the voting. While there is broad support that the voting should be reserved for commercial beekeepers, those with skin in the game, there was definitely diverging views around who should vote and the structure of membership.”

As it stands, the constitution which is expected to be disseminated in May will put “commercial” beekeepers as full members, while “non-commercial” beekeepers will have an avenue to join as an “associate member”, albeit without voting rights. However, the threshold for a commercial beekeeper will not be set in writing, with the $600 base fee expected to dissuade any apiarist who is not deriving significant commercial gain from their bees.

That base fee will be supplemented by an additional per-hive fee of somewhere in the order of $1 per hive for hive ownership over a commercial level, with the initial framework stating 500 hives. That per-hive money is expected to be capped though, with payment on 4000 hives framed as the limit. That would mean a member with 501 hives would be expected to pay $601 a year, and someone with 4,000 hives or more $4100.

Making the Numbers Work

Wherever the fees are set, getting the money together to fund an organisation to a level which will provide services that appeal to potential members is going to be a challenge. That very challenge is a major reason why both ApiNZ and NZBI find themselves in the position of both too low memberships and finances to be optimally effective in their beekeeper representation and seeking to unite.

The rough budget sent out in the consultation documents forecast incomes of $140,000 in year one and then $200,000 in year two, from a membership base of 120 and then 200 commercial beekeepers. Summing up the challenge in setting fees and budgets for a new group, Kos told members “Even though many participants felt the funding proposed was inadequate, there was little appetite for a significantly higher membership fee. It has been a difficult few years, and that is certainly the feeling we get out there.”

Fletcher dealt the April 30 meeting a dose of reality regarding what the early days, at least, of any new group will look like. “Any future single, national organisation will be voluntary at point of set-up. That is the funding framework we need to face up to and deal with,” he says.

What’s Next?

“In two or three months time we have a very important decision to make because we can’t carry on,” ApiNZ chair Nathan Guy told members, the organisation having relied on funding from the Honey Industry Trust to stay afloat for much of the last year.

A date for an ApiNZ AGM has yet to be set, but “early-June” has been touted. There, members will vote on whether to transfer assets to any new organisation, or wind up. After that, in July, it is hoped that an event will be held to help herald a new beginning for apicultural representation in New Zealand.

After significant consultation, in person and via correspondence, over the past year, Kos says the recent feedback she has received has been “can we just get on with it”, while Fletcher warns of “consultation fatigue”.

“While it might not be perfect, beekeepers are probably never going to agree on one way to do things. There will be a difference of opinions, but at least if we get something going that will be better than trying to tweak things and come up with yet another alternative. The point was made by several people that, if things need to change, they can and it is up to the membership and governance to work through those changes,” Kos says.

That was a sentiment reinforced by Guy.

“We are not going to get members on day one. What we are doing is setting up a structure and getting something we can move on. It will take time to build the membership. It will be an exciting opportunity,” Guy says, adding “Yes, funding will be an issue, but I believe starting small and starting is better than more talking”.

an we get moving and can develop something so people can go out and talk about it, get more of a sense of what people want and to start a membership campaign?”