Apiarist's Advocate Pod

AI reads of select www.apiaristsadvocate.com content. This month:1:30 - The Great Secret of Where ‘New Zealand’ Propolis is Sourced14:30 - Balancing Act Required as New Organisation’s Constitution is Finalised21:30 - Comvita Wins Reprieve from New ShareholdersPlease rate and review – and don’t forget to click follow to stay up to speed with all the news, views and promotions from around Kiwi beekeeping.

A reading of the www.apiaristsadvocate.com story of April 14, ‘Fuel Shortage Highlights Need for Strong Beekeeper Advocacy’ along with a letter to beekeepers from advertiser Egmont Honey.

This month we feature three AI reads of stories from www.apiaristsadvocate.com. First How Did We Get Here? The World’s Highest Value Honey, but Beekeepers in Mire (1:45). Then Proposed Framework Puts Commercial Beekeepers at Heart of Industry’s New “Church” (at 16:35) before Varroa Treatment Resistance Uncovered in Australia – “Shot Across the Bows” for NZ (27:00).Please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen, follow to get all our podcast episodes and visit www.apiaristsadvocate.com for our full range of content and to subscribe to our free monthly eMagazine.

An AI reading of our March 14 story detailing the receivership of New Zealand’s largest beekeeping business – Tweeddale’s Honey. Feature responses from the owner of the 81 year-old third generation business and the receivers who have now taken control.www.apiaristsadvocate.com

This episode of Apiarist’s Advocate Pod presents an audio reading of three feature stories from apiaristsadvocate.com, read in full for listeners who prefer to listen rather than read. The first story, "The US Honey Market Through the Eyes of Sellers", explores how New Zealand’s mānuka honey exporters and the UMF Honey Association view the rapid growth of the US market, the role of big-box retailers and e‑commerce, the influence of AI on consumer education, and whether current demand and pricing are sustainable. The second, "Hornet Response Continues on North Shore Only", reports on Biosecurity New Zealand’s response to the yellow‑legged hornet incursion on Auckland’s North Shore, including key findings from a beekeeper webinar, trapping and tracking methods, risks of spread, and what beekeepers around the country are advised to do. The third, "In a Pickle – A Beekeeper’s Truck-Up", is a first‑person account from an anonymous beekeeper whose fully laden 10-tonne truck rolled beside a farm dam, recounting the chain of small mistakes that led to the incident, the rescue of the bees and truck, and the lessons learned.

An AI reading of the www.apiaristsadvocate.com story exploring the changing dynamics of the New Zealand honey market where prices paid to many beekeepers might soon pass the breakeven point for the first time in a long time.

Audio readings of the best of apiaristsadvocate.com's content. Including:'Honey Season ‘25-26 – Early Potential Not Realised, Again'One Vote, One Member – Basics of New Industry Body Proposal RevealedMānuka Charitable Trust Scores Own Goal in Trademark Attack on Comvita Mānuka Honey CosmeticsSee all our content at www.apiaristsadvocate.com where you can subscribe to the free monthly eMagazine.

We get a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, plus a New Year resolution for the New Zealand apiculture industry from various industry leaders. Featuring responses from Karin Kos, Mark Dingle, Jane Lorimer, Nick Taylor, Sri Govindaraju, Logan Bowyer and Frank Lindsay.See the full story at www.apiaristsadvocate.com Thanks to sponsor New Zealand Beeswax, www.beeswax.co.nz

Select readings of Apiarist's Advocate's January 2026 content.

Despite being thrown some serious challenges in winter and spring 2025, beekeepers servicing New Zealand’s major kiwifruit growing areas appear to have – for the most part – filled their role adequately. We get the assessment from beekeepers, growers and Zespri at the heart of the action in the Bay of Plenty.

A reading of both December's lead story Yellow Legged Hornet Response – Time to “Go Hard”, and also (12:00) the story “Agreement in Principle” for New Beekeeping Group. Thanks to Vita Bee Health – suppliers of VarroxSan through Ceracell, the only registered, long-acting oxalic acid treatment for varroa in New Zealand.

Florenz's takeover bid to New Zealand's largest honey company, Comvita, has failed. We explore why, and get reaction from around the beekeeping and honey industry.