SWOT’s Up – Apiculture Leaders’ Industry Analysis 2026
- Patrick Dawkins
- 4 hours ago
- 9 min read
What do you consider the New Zealand apiculture industry’s greatest strength? How about its biggest weakness? What opportunities lay out in front of Kiwi beekeepers and honey sellers in 2026 and what are the threats that are likely to present? We put those questions – plus the opportunity to make a New Year resolution on behalf of the industry – to some of the industry’s leaders and entrepreneurs.
Their answers are laid out in full below and, while some common themes emerged – hey, biosecurity threats and a certain hornet are top of mind at the moment so let’s not be surprised there – the responses highlight a diversity of thinking within our ranks. And that very broad thinking is our greatest strength, so says more than one respondent.
Diversity of thinking leads to a diversity of business practices, and a view beyond mānuka honey is mentioned by several as crucial to progress in 2026.
That is because we turn the calendar from a year where many beekeeping businesses continued to downsize, or withdraw from the industry completely, and several mānuka honey packing operations toppled completely, as mānuka honey returns continued to wane. The position of New Zealand’s flagship honey and how best to capitalise on it is front of mind for many still though and warnings are raised regarding mānuka honey and how it is handled following a “reset” of the industry and a potentially huge market-opening in India.
More complete industry governance is sought by all our respondents and with Apiculture New Zealand (ApiNZ) and New Zealand Beekeeping Inc (NZBI) working towards delivering such a model, hope abounds in 2026…
Karin Kos, ApiNZ chief executive
Q. What is the greatest strength of New Zealand’s apicultural industry?
There is still potential for commercial beekeepers to benefit from the growth in global demand for mānuka honey (no other comparable country has similar growth potential from honey) and over time to leverage off that to grow demand for other New Zealand honeys.
Q. What is our industry’s greatest weakness?
The lack of industry organisation (and unity) to build a strong investment base that will support the ability to fully capitalise on potential growth in consumer demand, and be better prepared on the biosecurity front. Add to that the lack of industry information to support better business decision making to match supply with demand. There are also no immediately obvious solutions to reduce cost of honey production, with minimal opportunity (at this stage) to benefit from AI.
Given current uncertainties (epitomised by lack of supply chain collaboration, and lack of information), there are only modest levels of industry investment in innovation – and it is private; The industry is still unwilling to invest collectively in research and technology.
Q. What opportunities should our industry seek to embrace in 2026?
Renewed leadership across the beekeeping sector, and stronger links between beekeepers and exporters. The India free trade agreement – learning from the past about not cooperating to build the mānuka category in-market.
Q. What threat(s) confront us in 2026?
More biosecurity incursions with the yellow-legged hornet our most immediate threat. Cost of honey production continues to rise faster than honey prices. Also, government is not compelled to support the industry grow in the way that it is for other, more organised sectors.
Q. What ‘New Year resolution’ do you think the apiculture industry should have?
Get organised and support our efforts to deliver a new industry organisation – so that beekeepers can better collaborate and fund initiatives that will support their ability to be more reliably profitable.
Mark Dingle, New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity chairman
Strength – Our combined experience, knowledge, and the quality of New Zealand honey products. This is recognised globally. The trouble is we’re not leveraging our collective skills in a way that benefits all of us. We’re still trying to go it alone.
Weakness – There is a transparent lack of unity within the industry. Last year’s ApiNZ conference is a case in point. Some regions work together better than others, but old, and unhelpful, divisions remain. We’d all be a lot better off if we were prepared to bury the hatchet and work with other beekeepers to our collective benefit.
This may be generic – but I believe our mindset towards the identification and management of American foulbrood is a significant weakness and needs to change. There is a residual and persistent view that AFB signals poor beekeeping. This is not always true. It’s more about how you respond once you have identified AFB that will determine if you are a good beekeeper, or not. It’s important beekeepers and their employees can identify AFB, know what to do when they find it, and then follow through. A proactive plan in preparedness will always help. If unsure on where to begin, give our operations managers a ring (0800 232 767).
Opportunities – There is a very real and necessary opportunity to improve our biosecurity response. Individually and collectively. There are also many opportunities to embrace innovation and deploy the technology that is already available. Improving hive traceability is a good example where the technology exists and can be used to good effect.
Threats – The primary threat is there is no unifying goal for the apiculture industry. This is largely due to there being no single governing industry body. We seem to be taking the approach that it’s “each for themselves” instead of developing better strategic foresight and being proactive, which would avoid us sitting back and waiting for the inevitable to happen. We also shy away from engaging in uncomfortable, and yet crucial, conversations such as funding avenues for the future of this industry.
The other issue we have is an ageing beekeeper workforce. There are few incentives to encourage young people into apiculture and this will result in a stagnated industry that eventually goes backwards.
Resolution – The industry should have ways to future-proof itself, including working collaboratively to develop a national incursion preparedness and operational plan that reinforces good biosecurity practices, well before an incursion occurs. The yellow-legged hornet incursion demonstrated that we, as an industry, are inadequately prepared for the incursion of unwanted pests and organisms. The industry needs to develop a national pest incursion plan that lays out the who, what, when, and how to respond when the next pest hits our shores. And that’s not an if, but when. If we develop a national pest incursion plan this year, I’ll be very happy.
Jane Lorimer, New Zealand Beekeeping Inc president
Strength – We have a huge diversity of skillsets in our midst. We have lawyers, scientists, environmentalists, engineers, journalists etc. This gives us the ability to analyse from different perspectives, discuss and find solutions that may be “outside the box”.
Weakness – Our strength can also be our greatest weakness, especially if peoples’ egos get in the way of making progress on solutions. I have seen this throughout the time that I have been involved in the industry. We need to leave egos behind and work for the greater industry good to give a healthy industry for the future.
Opportunities – Working on yellow-legged hornet response through commercial beekeepers monitoring traps around the country to ensure greatest opportunity to eliminate the pest or confirm the absence of the hornet.
Work on uniting the beekeeping industry needs to be completed now so we can develop a biosecurity plan and research priorities. Research has been key to industry successes. All beekeepers need to recognise this and be willing to contribute. We need more mānuka type opportunities rather than just dealing in a commodity, and that goes for all bee products, not just honey.
Threats – These are many … Further biosecurity incursions; government’s, both current and subsequent, not taking the beekeeping industry seriously; the lack of scientific data to validate the worth of our industry to allow access to funding streams to help in research and product development; continued reliance on mānuka to be the “golden goose”; continued suppression of honey prices remains a threat and many more beekeepers are likely to fold if prices for bulk honey remain below the cost of production; overseas honey adulteration – a cheap alternative to “real honey”; healthy stars ratings becoming compulsory on honey and not taking into account the goodness of the product; operational costs for keeping bees continue to skyrocket; New Zealand Bee Health and Biosecurity taking over biosecurity responsibility and dropping the ball on American foulbrood.
Nick Taylor, New Zealand Beeswax general manager and ApiNZ Canterbury Hub committee member
Strength – Brand New Zealand, especially brand New Zealand Mānuka
Weakness – Fragmentation; the sharp knife of commercial reality has led to widespread consolidation. Much needed consolidation has occurred across beekeepers, suppliers, packers and exporters… likely with more to come. A more streamlined industry will be better placed to ride the upturn (arguably already underway).
Opportunities – Diversification; pollination, mānuka, non-mānuka, package bees etc. Spreading risk, cashflow and positioning for any and all opportunities as they materialise. No one product or market opportunity stands out in 2026, there is an air of opportunity with modest (but very welcome) upside across the board.
Threats – With the lion’s share of revenue reliant on honey exports, a strong global economy is a must. Dark clouds are casting long shadows. Keep an eye on our major trading partners’ economic prospects in 2026.
Resolution – Believe in yourself and your industry. The New Zealand apiculture industry has amazing products, services and systems that are world beaters. Our healthy, natural products with a unique story deservedly takes its place as part of an unstoppable global 'food first' health trend. Believe!
Sri Govindaraju, The Experiment Company and PAQ Labs chief operating officer
Strength – Resilience.
Weakness – Internal politics remains one of the industry’s greatest weaknesses, fragmenting voices and slowing collective progress. The lack of alignment often dilutes advocacy efforts and distracts from addressing shared challenges and long-term strategic goals.
Opportunities – Collaboration. This is a significant opportunity in 2026, particularly across research, market development, and industry representation. By working together more cohesively, the industry can leverage shared expertise, reduce duplication, and strengthen its domestic and global position.
Threats – Without continued innovation and a unified front, the industry risks stagnation and erosion of trust both domestically and internationally.
Resolution – The apiculture industry should resolve to move beyond the narrative that equates apiculture solely with mānuka honey. A progressive industry body should champion the full breadth of New Zealand apiculture including diverse honey types, bee products, pollination services, and scientific capability in order to ensure a more balanced, resilient, and future-focused sector.
Logan Bowyer, Mānuka Orchard owner-director
Strength – Three parts – the products we produce, the land it comes from, and the passionate people.
Weakness – The belief we are fractured as an industry. We are not nearly as fractured as people say we are, they just believe we are.
Opportunities – There is a prime opportunity to reset from the first golden era of mānuka honey. So, from a honey point of view, we have an opportunity to reset and not repeat some of the mistakes of the last 10 to 15 years.
Threats – There are some pretty big ones. Biosecurity threats, with hornets currently most apparent. Geopolitical threats, with turmoil within our trading partners. There are positives within those threats though – there is a threat in not capitalising on them, or not laying out the best plan to develop new markets. Such as India, it looms as a threat if we do not properly capitalise on that potential new market.
Resolution – We should resolve to become a better industry with an industry body which is a platform to communicate collectively. That will help us become an actual industry, which is organised and we can be proud of.
Frank Lindsay ONZM, Southern North Island Beekeeping Group president
Strengths – Those with a love of beekeeping that really care for their bees. We have an immense pool of talented people within the industry, including hobbyists who just need to be asked.
We still have family businesses who know how to survive hard times through external and internal sources such as drought.
The Apiarist’s Advocate taking over from the New Zealand BeeKeeper providing monthly updates and comments (thanks to those who contribute). Those people which still have industry good at heart and still contribute and pass on information.
Weaknesses – The loss of beekeepers following the mānuka gold rush and the loss of trust between beekeepers where previously they would share sites in times of drought, so we helped each other.
The lack of financial information showing how much it costs to establish hives for pollination. Prices today are controlled by beekeepers who continue to under-cut one another to obtain a cash flow.
The lack of conference where industry planning is one of the main themes. And the lack of a three-year, five-year and 10-year plan where beekeepers have not been identified for leadership and management training.
Opportunities – There is opportunity to work together, recognising the difference in beekeeping between regions and islands.
Threats – Biosecurity concerns, where the things that effect bees or pollination are not fenced in so are hard to control. Nosema ceranae is spreading through the North Island. It builds up, taking up to five years to kill a colony and then it's sudden. Asian yellow hornets and tropilaelaps are spreading through the world, yet wasps still cause big losses each year to ours and allied industries.
Government not recognising the importance of our industry to New Zealand Inc and not supporting the industry in practical ways like European governments do.
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