Kānuka Honey: Time to Stand on Its Own
- Sri Govindaraju
- 18 hours ago
- 6 min read
Passionate kānuka honey advocate Sri Govindaraju attended the inaugural Kānuka Industry Hui, hosted by the Kānuka Charitable Trust (KCT), August 17-18 in Rotorua. She reflects on what was discussed, the great opportunity facing kānuka honey and oil, plus the collective action which will be required to realise the native plant’s potential.
By Sri Govindaraju
Kānuka Charitable Trust, alongside Bioeconomy Science Institute hosted the two-day Kānuka Industry Hui attended by more than 40 people from across the sector. Oil and honey producers, brands, exporters, Māori landowners, researchers, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and other funders sat in the same room and asked a simple but overdue question: what would it take for kānuka to stop being the quiet cousin of mānuka and start earning a proper return?
The hui did not deliver finished answers, but it made one thing unmistakable. The science, the land and the market opportunity are already there. What is still missing is the collective will to build the standards, testing tools and provenance story that turn those advantages into higher prices for the people who actually produce the honey.
Kānuka is regarded as a taonga species by Māori. Honey is one of several value streams identified alongside kānuka oil, bioactives and land restoration. The hui confirmed what many producers already know: for most, kānuka honey farm-gate returns remain closer to native bush blend than to premium monofloral mānuka. The usual explanations such as limited research, low consumer awareness, biennial yields and a lack of practical differentiation tools still apply even though it is not entirely the case. The sector’s future will be strongest when kānuka honey is treated as part of a multi-product ecosystem rather than a stand-alone commodity.
Is there science that can actually move the price?
Published research in reputable journals (see references) already shows that kānuka honey contains type-2 arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) with clear immunostimulatory activity (TNF-α). Of all New Zealand honeys tested, kānuka consistently shows the highest levels of these AGPs, followed by kāmahi and mānuka. There is also supporting evidence for therapeutic applications of both kānuka honey and oil in topical and immune-support uses, including cold sores and eczema, with emerging interest in hyperpigmentation. Aligning this science with stronger clinical data would help position kānuka honey as a natural functional ingredient for the much larger skincare and cosmetics markets, rather than competing only in the table-honey and spreads category.
The Experiment Company (trading as PAQ Laboratories) has now established standardised tests to quantify AGPs, the key differentiator from mānuka and a test to support authenticity. The authenticity method measures four chemical markers that can underpin a monofloral or multifloral definition. These tools are available at commercial scale for beekeepers, packers and exporters.
The missing link is therefore not the science or the testing capacity. It is the absence of a robust, industry-owned grading and export certification system backed by a credible collective body. Kānuka needs its own equivalent of the UMF/MGO framework: standards, certification and messaging built around AGP potency, authenticity markers and provenance. Critically, that system must be developed collectively so that individual brands do not undercut one another.
What role could Hā Kānuka play in this wider picture?
Two commercial operators already offer standardised testing: Analytica (ALS Laboratories) for kānuka oils, and PAQ Laboratories for AGP quantification and honey definition analysis. Yet questions remain. How do we ensure these quality standards are recognised as credible for export markets? There is still no standardised method widely adopted for kānuka oil extraction. Neither MPI nor the industry body has a reliable system for gathering annual production data on kānuka honey. The hui highlighted these and other gaps like regional processing and extraction capacity, coordinated marketing and branding activity, which all remain fragmented.
Continued fragmentation will keep returns low, leave the sector operating in silos, and expose it to issues around intellectual property, counterfeiting and inconsistent quality claims. That’s where KCT’s “brand identity”, Hā Kānuka, comes in. It is proposed that Hā Kānuka’s role could be to bring these separate activities under one umbrella: IP protection, standards development, marketing, science coordination and government liaison.
How can mātauranga Māori and provenance become a genuine advantage?
The mānuka honey sector experienced deep fragmentation for a range of reasons. One lesson frequently cited is the relatively late inclusion of Māori leadership in shaping the industry’s growth and governance. Kānuka, as a taonga species, holds a special place in mātauranga Māori. Whakapapa, kaitiakitanga and place-based storytelling are not optional add-ons; they form a clear and defensible long-term brand strategy. Internationally, consumers increasingly favour brands that can demonstrate authentic indigenous narratives, responsible use of native botanicals, transparent governance and benefit-sharing with local iwi and hapū.
Kānuka is also a pioneer species in forest regeneration. It has been widely planted on erosion-prone land, supports carbon sequestration, enables biodiversity in flora and fauna, and contributes to rural employment. These attributes align strongly with whenua Māori land-use goals. Honey and oil production sit naturally inside that larger land-use and restoration story.
Realistic market pathways
The most realistic near-term pathway for kānuka honey could be twofold. In markets where mānuka has not yet reached saturation, kānuka can be introduced on its own merits through targeted consumer education that highlights its distinct AGP profile, authenticity markers and provenance story. Rather than positioning it as a cheaper alternative to mānuka, the focus should be on building recognition for what kānuka uniquely offers.
At the same time, the cosmetics and functional skincare pathway should be actively explored. The oil sector has already shown that clinical evidence, particularly around eczema, can attract licensing interest and export partners. Graded high-AGP or authenticated monofloral kānuka honey can follow a similar route as a natural functional ingredient once clear product data is routinely available.
What success could look like in 5-10 years
Success would mean a functioning, industry-owned grading and certification system that lifts average returns for beekeepers and landowners who invest in measurement and quality. Producers would be able to test AGP levels and authenticity markers routinely and sell accordingly, rather than watching kānuka disappear into bush or mānuka blend pricing.
Hā Kānuka, or an equivalent collective body, would coordinate standards, science priorities, marketing and government liaison so the sector is no longer operating in fragmented silos. Funders would have clear, shared research priorities to support. The industry would be recognisably Māori-led, science-backed and commercially coherent, with provenance and benefit-sharing built into the brand story from the outset.
That outcome is achievable, but only if the practical first steps identified at the Rotorua hui – agreed standards, accessible testing protocols and ongoing coordination mechanisms – are resourced and acted on rather than left as good intentions.
Sri Govindaraju is the founder and chief operating officer of The Experiment Company, an Auckland based research company, trading as PAQ Labs, which specialises in kānuka honey research and testing.
Who is the Kānuka Charitable Trust and Hā Kānuka?
The Kānuka Charitable Trust was established in 2023 by a collection of Māori entities with an interest in kānuka oil, with the founding directors Manu Caddie and Richard Manning. Its purpose is acting as “kaitiaki”, and providing “stewardship” for kānuka honey, to protect, restore and enhance the Taonga, its mana and supporting ecosystems for the enduring benefit of Tangata Whenua and all New Zealanders.
“Seeing what has happened in the mānuka honey world we saw the need to try and put some things in place for kānuka … to try and work on behalf of the industry and look after the ecosystem and species,” Caddie says.
“Making sure Māori are in the driving seat for the new industry and protecting that value for New Zealand. Making sure the story is strong and the connection to this place is there from the get-go.”
Caddie reports that, to date, $312,320 of funding has come from the Ministry for Primary Industries and $179,700 from the kānuka oil industry, including Caddie’s own business, Hikurangi Bioactives Limited Partnership.
Ha Kānuka is the “brand identity” operating on behalf of KCT, with the Māori “hā” translating to “breath”.
References regarding kanuka honey research
Gannabathula, S. et al. 2012 “Arabinogalactan proteins contribute to the immunostimulatory properties of New Zealand honeys.” Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, 34(4), 598–607. DOI: 10.3109/08923973.2011.641974
Gannabathula, S. et al. 2015 “Honeybee apisimin and plant arabinogalactans in honey costimulate monocytes.” Food Chemistry, 168, 34–40. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.07.007.
Gannabathula, S. et al. 2017 “Correlation of the immunostimulatory activities of honeys with their contents of identified bioactives.” Food Chemistry, 221, 39–46. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.10.038
George, E. M. et al. 2025 “Antibacterial Properties, Arabinogalactan Proteins, and Bioactivities of New Zealand Honey.” Antioxidants, 14(4), 375. DOI: 10.3390/antiox14040375.
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