New Zealand Beekeeping HistoryMarketing, people and beekeeping politics…
Though economics of the industry were not particularly sound, bee colony numbers grew for the third year in a row, to 110,635, and a total of about 7,500, an increase from the mid-1920s. On 26 July, at a meeting immediately prior to Conference, the HPA placed itself into voluntary liquidation. At a subsequent meeting it […]
An unnamed Waikato beekeeper (Mr TJ Mannix of Waihou, Thames?) secured a crop of 75 tons, a record for New Zealand. There were 99,855 colonies of bees. Mr EW Sage and Mr PA Hillary were elected to the Board of Directors of the HPA. The 1931 Conference was held in Christchurch on 17 and 18 […]
The 1929/30 honey season was the worst for 15 years, probably only one third of the previous season’s record crop. There were, at the time, 88,716 bee colonies. The 1930 Annual Conference was held at the Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s Hall in Auckland from 15 to 17 July. The Conference was presided over by the […]
While in the earlier period HPA members had been loyal in not competing with their association, by 1929 HPA members were using the Association for the disposal of honey only when it suited them. The loss of the higher return on the local market made the HPA more and more dependent on the export market […]
The 1927/28 honey crop was one of the largest ever experienced. In total 1,029 tons were exported. Many producers sent their entire crop into the grade stores for export, as the local market prices were still low with some producers quitting at any price obtainable, just to get rid of the their surpluses. By April […]
The local market was fully stocked with honey, resulting in severe pricecutting. The 14th Annual Conference elected Mr R Clark as President, and Mr CA Pope as Vice President. Executive elected were Mr A Bates (Kaponga), Mr AH Davies, Mr R Gibb (Menzies Ferry) and Mr GL Hight. Revised Apiaries Act. The first true Thin […]
In the 1926 year the HPA sold 377 ½ tons in bulk and packed 206 tons. Mr AH Davies was elected President, with Mr R Clark as Vice President.
In 1925 the Massey Government set up the Export Honey Control Board. While a move toward more orderly marketing, it gave only limited protection when considering that 80% of honey was sold on the local market. In the 1925 calendar year the HPA sold 293 tons 7 cwt in bulk and packed 261 tons 6 […]
1924 In early 1924 an advertisement in The New Zealand Fruitgrower and Apiarist had the apiary of Mr FC Baines, the former editor of the NZ Beekeeper journal, for sale. The advertisement indicated that Mr Baines had taken on secretarial work, preventing him from giving sufficient time to the 100 colonies of 12 frame gear. […]
Mr AB Callick was apppointed to replace Mr RW Brickell as manager of the Alliance Box Co, owned by the HPA. Mr Callick had been Mr Brickell’s “right-hand man” in the manufacturing department for the past 20 years. The first advance from the HPA for the 1923 season’s honey was set at 4½ d per […]