MPI’s ‘Bee Alliance’ to Meet in September – Project Leader Explains Rationale

It’s been in the wings for at least five months as the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has worked behind the scenes meeting with various beekeeping industry groups and stakeholders, and on September 10 the “New Zealand Honey and Bee Alliance” will take flight with an inaugural hui in Wellington.

Terry Copeland has been on MPI’s payroll for less than a year as programme director export growth, and now expects half his role to be dedicated to being a liaison and ‘project manager’ for the apiculture industry.

Apiarist’s Advocate first broke news of the potential “alliance” and MPI’s approach to numerous apiculture industry groups in May. However, the ministry and project lead Terry Copeland have released only short, undetailed, statements over the intervening months, and only when prompted. Now though, as a first meeting approaches, Copeland has spoken candidly regarding the concept, and how he has emerged as the driving force behind it.

“MPI wants to support the bee and honey sector, but doesn’t want to tell it what to do, and nor should it,” Copeland says.

“However, I have identified that there is a real opportunity to bring the main players around the same table to determine where the gaps are and how MPI can support the industry to take itself forward. We have no fixed opinion on what that might look like.”

Expected to attend the inaugural “alliance” hui – as invited by Copeland – are representatives from Honey and Bees New Zealand; UMF Honey Association; Mānuka Charitable Trust; New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity; as well as Comvita chief executive Karl Gradon, Auckland Beekeepers Club president Ken Brown and New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc CEO Colin Bond.

Copeland’s job title at MPI is programme director export growth, and going forward he expects about half of his role to be occupied with assisting the apiculture industry.

“So I can be a dedicated person to link the sector together. So the industry knows who they can go to at MPI, whether there is a biosecurity problem, or a food safety problem, and that there is someone on the inside working on behalf of the sector,” he explains.

Over the past several months, during discussions with various industry groups and beekeepers, he says he has identified some areas where he believes improvements can be made for the honey and bee industry. Most prominent he believes is a lack of data collection which could assist business decision making; an inconsistent application of biosecurity; the haphazard relationship between beekeepers and the horticulture sector which can see beekeepers bounce focus between honey production and much-needed pollination service offerings; and the challenges of beekeeper/honey packer relationships.

“With all of that, it made me think the best thing we can do – if there is a desire for it – is to bring all the main players around the same table. Including the hort sector who can talk to their pollination needs, including landowners, including iwi … have some organisations but also have some beekeepers who are living it and breathing it day by day, to see if they can agree as to what will shift the dial,” Copeland says.

Once the group determines what might “shift the dial”, Copeland says it will be his job to help make the appropriate projects happen.

“MPI doesn’t want to be making all the decisions. What we can do, is help bring projects to life.”

Likely funding options for such projects will be through MPI itself, along with industry co-funding.

Copeland comes to the role of apiculture industry contact at MPI having been on staff with the ministry for less than a year. Before that he spent seven years as CEO of Federated Farmers, four years in the same position with New Zealand Young Farmers, which followed a career in the wine industry. He says he initially came to the ministry with an eye to assisting growth in the wine industry, but he and director general Ray Smith fast identified the need to focus on apiculture too.

With beekeeping industry representation having been stumbling for years, as Apiculture New Zealand bled money, memberships waned and at several times its directors suggested dissolution before its ultimate morphing to Honey and Bees New Zealand, it begs the question why, now, has MPI decided to step in and take a greater interest in how such a crucial sector to many primary industries is being led?

Being relatively fresh to his role with MPI himself, Copeland was short on answers there, but admits “it should have happened plenty of time ago, but it is happening now”.

Crucial to success of the concept, Copeland believes, will be building trust and strong relationships between the numerous groups inside the “alliance”.

“I fully expect this will go from the first meeting to something which will roll out, but I am not being too presumptuous. The group can ultimately make that decision, but MPI wants to work onside with the industry to take this forward,” Copeland says.

The inaugural group around the table on September 10 may not be the full alliance into the future, but “we have to kick it off somewhere” Copeland says. On the agenda at that first meeting is determining what each organisation sees as the major challenges they face, and what they believe a successful alliance would look like.

Also, “how can we best communicate what we are doing to the sector” Copeland says. On that note, while the formation of the alliance might have been surrounded in hush from MPI, going forward Copeland says he expects to give regular updates.

“They won’t be open meetings, but I want it to be really public,” the beekeeping industry’s new contact at MPI says.

“Every time something is proposed or achievements or milestones are reached, there will be fresh releases around that.”