CRYN Russell of Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay was the supreme winner in the ApiNZ National Photography competition with a close-up photo of a bee on a daisy. PHOTO SUPPLIED
NEW Zealand’s best honey producers named at the Apiculture New Zealand National Honey Competition in Rotorua last week, include Ngāruawāhia-based Te Akatea Apiaries which won two gold and a silver in the national honey competition.
Danny Russell won gold for woodsection frame honeycomb, and chunk honeycomb, and a silver for the cut comb entry.
The overall supreme award winner was Timaru-based Mānuka collective – for the third year in a row.
Omanawa-based Kaimai Range Honey took the people’s choice award in the pre-conference national honey competition, held at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre.
Head judge Maureen Conquer said the quality of honey improved again this year with very few points separating the top three entrants.
All entries were blind-tasted, and an international scale of points was used to determine the winners across 10 main categories.
The Apiculture New Zealand Conference celebrated other successes within the industry with awards presented to those making outstanding achievements in apiculture science, innovation, sustainability and photography.
Rotorua-based forest entomologist Stephanie Sopow of Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute) was awarded the Peter Molan trophy for exceptional contribution to apiculture science.
The arrival of the giant willow aphid to New Zealand has caused a broad range of impacts not only on host trees, but also on bees and beekeepers, because of bees and wasps harvesting the aphid honeydew.
Stephanie has been leading work on the biological control of giant willow aphid with a parasitoid as part of the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Farming Fund project ‘Management of Giant Willow Aphid’.
Glasson Apiaries, based in Blackball on the West Coast, received the ApiNZ Sustainability Best Practice Award. Sustainability has been their ethos from how they manage their hive locations, keeping locations close to base, to careful management of bee health and creating enduring relationships with landowners and staff.
The Roy Paterson award for innovation went to another sustainably-produced product – the Kōpani pallet cover.
This plant-based product (made from hemp fibre) created by Stuart Fraser of Natural Sugars reduces the reliance on plastic for wrapping hives.
The ‘Unsung Hero Award’ went to a trio of busy bees this year. Barry Foster, John Mackay and Steve Jackson from Tairāwhiti/Gisborne for their outstanding work in supporting beekeepers in their region following Cyclone Gabrielle.
They went above and beyond to help local beekeepers, from coordinating practical help to organising social events.
The supreme winner in the ApiNZ national photography competition was Cryn Russell of Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay with a close-up photo of a bee on a daisy.
Full results can be found on the website at: apinz.org.nz/apinz-national-honey-competition-winners-2023/
Results of the other competitions are available at: https://apinz.org.nz/apinz-conference/conference-competitions-2023-winners/
