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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, FEBRUARY 2017
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT
WELCOME TO 2017
Karin Kos, ApiNZ Chief Executive
Welcome to 2017. Despite a challenging start, our long-term future is strong.
Over the last few years we’ve seen our industry experience significant growth, as evidenced in MPI’s latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries report (MPI, 2016). The report shows our honey export revenue more than doubled from 2013 to 2016 to reach $315 million in 2016. While there’s been a fall-off in export sales in the last quarter and a forecasted small fall in revenue for the 2017 year, overall, our long-term future looks strong, with export revenue forecast to reach around $460 million in 2020. I appreciate that is small comfort to our industry as we go through an incredibly challenging season, but it’s important we keep a long-term perspective. Despite the poor season we are facing this year, we have a strong story to tell around New Zealand honey and the apiculture industry. That’s one where our honey is internationally recognised and trusted for its great taste and qualities, it attracts premium pricing, and where our honey bees are recognised as the lifeblood of New Zealand’s primary and horticultural sectors. The economic value of pollination for the horticulture and arable sectors alone is estimated to be around $4.5 to $5 billion a year. But statistics are one thing; it’s how we as an industry support sustainable growth to get the best of the opportunities and deal with the challenges that inevitably come with growth, like hive theft and territorial issues. It’s also how we individually and collectively best represent our industry, telling our story and fronting it positively, and dealing with issues when they do arise. And it’s how we work constructively with our stakeholders and Government to make sure our views are heard and acted on. All good reasons for why it’s never been more important to have a unified and strong peak industry body, representing all sectors and stakeholders.
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