From Hive to High-Level Strategy: How the Kellogg Programme Can Nurture Strong Voices in Apiculture

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust’s Matt Hampton, is encouraging those in apiculture to invest in themselves – and the sector’s future – by undertaking the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme (Kellogg) which the Trust designs and delivers.

By Eloise Martyn

With the apiculture industry facing significant headwinds, including biosecurity pressures, global market shifts, and internal structural challenges, the need for strong, informed leadership has never been greater. Yet Hampton notes a concerning trend.

The 2021 first intake of the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme at Lincoln University, featuring Kathryn Reid who authored a detailed report on the honey industry seated third from right.

“Over the past five years, only a handful of participants from the apiculture industry have taken part in the Kellogg Programme,” Hampton says. Highlighting a real need for future leaders in the sector.

Established in 1979, the Kellogg programme is a six-month course featuring 18 days of content delivered across three intensive phases in Lincoln (Canterbury) and Wellington. It develops leaders’ strategic and critical thinking, growing confident leaders for New Zealand’s primary industries. Each participant completes a research report aimed at delivering practical leadership outcomes.

Among the few apiculture voices helping to change this trend is Sol Tejada, a Hamilton-based beekeeper who completed the programme in 2023. Argentinian by birth, Tejada has worked in beekeeping across New Zealand. Noticing a clear underrepresentation of women in the sector, she was motivated to publish a report titled Women in Beekeeping: How to Champion Ladies in the Apiculture Industry? – a project that led her to explore gender representation within the sector. Tejada’s report offered fresh insights and practical recommendations to encourage diversity in New Zealand’s apiculture sector. Her findings sparked new conversations, challenged assumptions, and helped foster a more inclusive and thoughtful industry.

In 2021, Kathryn Reid delivered her Kellogg report, subtitled Honey, We Need to Listen, examining whether the honey industry was structurally equipped to meet its export goals amid internal challenges. The findings were detailed, objective, and regarded as particularly valuable by many in the industry. Importantly, this research would likely never have come to light had Reid not taken part In Kellogg. Some see the report as underutilised, but it remains a valuable, publicly available resource, and with the future direction of the industry currently poised for change, it’s a timely moment to revisit this earlier research that is still both relevant and rich with insight.

The Kellogg programme sees students gather for 18 days of content across three phases, delivered primarily at Lincoln University, but also in Wellington as this tranche of students enjoys.

Also contributing to the industry’s body of knowledge is 2020 Kellogg participant Keegan Blignaut, who put forward valuable insights with his report, Where is the Profitability in the Mānuka Honey Production in Northland? Prompted by MPI’s 2017 redefinition of mānuka honey, his research explored the region’s commercial viability of mānuka honey during a time when clarity and data-driven analysis were in high demand.

Hampton says it’s important that the apiculture industry doesn’t fall behind when it comes to growing its leaders. “It’s important that apiculture has a strong voice, with confident leaders who are able to embrace future challenges and opportunities as they emerge,” he says. By educating and empowering leaders, the sector builds confidence, supports succession, and creates a capable cohort ready to lead.

“The Kellogg Programme provides the environment and tools for individuals to step up,” Hampton adds.

More information on the rural leadership programme can be found at ruralleaders.co.nz

Apiarist’s Advocate’s coverage of Kellogg students: Championing Ladies in Apiculture (Sol Tejada),

Honey, We Need to Listen (Kathryn Reid).