Manuka Charitable Trust Hold Invite-Only Symposium

As the group tasked with protecting mānuka honey from offshore exploitation continues its work, a Mānuka Charitable Trust Symposium to reaffirm their position was held on September 26.

Mānuka Charitable Trust chair Victor Goldsmith speaks at their September 26 Symposium in Wellington.

Despite the Trust continuing to promote “inclusivity” and “taking everyone with us as an expression of, and commitment to, the public good” as a core principle, the symposium was an invite-only affair. For the 60 people who made the list at Wharewaka Function Centre on the Wellington waterfront though, the Trust’s science and legal programme were detailed.

Trust chair Victor Goldsmith says among those in attendance were representatives of several major mānuka honey producers and exporters, Apiculture New Zealand, government officials from the Ministry for Primary Industries, Te Puni Kokiri and Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment, plus scientists and former Minister for Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta.

Goldsmith says he has received “very positive feedback from all who attended”.

“The presentations were well received and gave a sense of the work done over the past three to five years. The Trust received 3.9million dollars from the Provincial Growth Fund and we were able to report back on the science and legal work,” he reports.

Te Pitau director Blanche Morragh takes the stage at the Mānuka Charitable Trust Symposium.

“The traditional knowledge (matauranga) and western science presentations were well reviewed. This is a point of difference and clearly separates mānuka from the Australian tea tree. There is still some work to do on the science and the matauranga session will form part of our indigenous story telling that will show our deep connection to our taonga, mānuka. The Trust will control the use and narrative of this work through the certification trade mark (CTM) of a tohu (symbol) that will connect consumers back to the authentic cultural story of mānuka.”

CTM applications of that tohu have been made by the Trust in at least six countries, including New Zealand.

Short videos and photos from the Symposium have been shared to the Mānuka Charitable Trust Facebook page.

The organisers of the event were not forthcoming on what the cost of holding it was, but say “due to the size of the venue it was by invitation only”.