Tai Tokerau Honey Ltd is a 100% Maori owned and operated beekeeping company, specializing in the production of the renowned Mānuka Honey. Currently, the company runs approximately 5000 hives, and while the base of the operations remains in Kaitaia in the Te Taitokerau region, when the summer honey season is on the Mānuka flower is chased all over the North Island. Previous seasons have seen hives trucked as far south as Taranaki, across to East Cape and everywhere in between!

Rob Murray (Founder, Owner, Operator) has been in the Apiculture industry for over thirteen years. With a history of being a jack-of-all-trades, when the opportunity arose to try his luck at beekeeping he grabbed it with both hands. He was given a crash course in how to transport hives, and left with the task of settling 300 hives into their new locations on their whanau farm – not an easy feat! His success led to a job with one of the largest commercial beekeeping operations at the time – the first job where he was not his own boss – and within three years he had worked his way up the company to become one of the Regional Managers. At this point the drive to go it alone was very strong, and with the support of his wife, Lonnie, they established Tai Tokerau Honey Ltd in 2007.

One of Rob and Lonnie’s driving principles is the desire to provide employment and support local businesses within our rohe (region). With Lonnie working as full-time primary school teacher, Rob initially managed the hives by himself with the help of his youngest son, Wayne on the weekends and in school holidays. Rob’s nephew Mikaere came home from boarding school in 2008 and began to learn the art of apiculture. By 2012 the company had built up to 1500 hives and with Lonnie still working full time, Twyla joined the team to manage some of the day to day operations. This was the whanau unit for the next couple of years until in 2015, with the company running 3000 hives, the eldest son George, moved home after 4 years serving in the NZ Army, and Lonnie finally left teaching to join the company full-time.

One of the biggest challenges faced, and one that applies to many businesses, is the ability to find reliable, dedicated workers, and in the apiculture industry this is made harder by the nature of the work and the many years of training required to produce beekeepers that are operational at a commercial level. Luckily, the company has invested time into some young locals, and currently employ 17 staff including four Beekeeper Team Leaders, four apprentice beekeepers and a Queen Rearer. The remainder of the staff are in the office, factory and the workshop, however there is always space for experienced beekeepers to join the team!

Another challenge is being able to prove to the customer that the honey being sold is pure, natural and of the best quality. In recent years, Mānuka honey has gained recognition around the world, and was quickly established as a premium product. Of course, this led to issues surrounding authenticity, with instances of honey that wasn’t entirely pure Mānuka honey being marketed as such, or honey not being true to label sold to unwitting consumers at high end prices. To ensure the quality of the product being produced under the Tai Tokerau Honey label, Rob decided the only way forward was to have control of the process from beginning to end – from the way the hives are managed, right through to the honey being sealed and labelled in jars. In late 2016, the company took over a 480m2 ex-cheese factory built to high food-grade standards, and by December had their own extraction plant up and running. The next stage of development is the addition of a packaging plant due to begin operations in April 2017.

Tai Tokerau Honey Ltd have a strong tikanga (values, beliefs and guidelines) that incorporates the way Māori see the world, and is based on the knowledge of the ancestors that has been passed down from generation to generation. This, along with a strong desire for sustainability, is built into the foundation of their company, and is reflected in both their everyday practices and interactions, as well as their long-term goals.

The honey industry, more precisely the Mānuka honey industry, is one area this company believes Māori can benefit and excel in, with much of the undeveloped, Māori-owned land currently covered in Mānuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium). Having been on this whenua (land) for thousands of years, this company would like to ensure that the land and its resources are managed sustainably, and that they remain intact for the people to utilise and benefit from for centuries to come. As such, Tai Tokerau Honey Ltd have worked hard to develop relationships with iwi, land trusts and landowners throughout the North Island, with the goal of creating a productive and sustainable industry; an industry that makes use of the many land resources previously left undeveloped and neglected; an industry that provides local employment and supports local service; an industry where everyone can benefit.

It has definitely not been an easy road, and yes, there is money in Mānuka honey however it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to produce. For Rob and the team at Tai Tokerau Honey Ltd, the unique lifestyle and the chance to create a positive foundation for future generations are some of the best rewards. But in today’s society, money is a driving force, so like Rob always says “Get out there and change that ‘H’ into a ‘M’, honey into money!”