1913
Mr Isaac Hopkins finally left the Department of Agriculture, having effectively resigned four years previously. Approximately 40 cadets passed through the apiary during that time, mostly young women. Miss D Hart, previously in charge of the Waerenga apiary was given charge of the apiary at Ruakura.
Total exports for the 1912-1913 season were 586 hundredweight, valued at £1,182. By the end of 1913 exports for the nine-month period were 1,690 hundredweight, valued at £3,293.
Beekeepers had formed associations in some of the provinces. Mr Hull, then President of the Canterbury Association, suggested a conference to be held in Wellington. Being a strong trade unionist, Mr Hull proposed the name of the Federated Beekeepers’ Association of New Zealand.
A few beekeepers from two of the main beekeeping areas of the country, Canterbury and Taranaki, had made sales of their highest grade honey into London which netted approximately 4d per pound.
In 1913 the local Canterbury beekeepers’ association formed a co-operative association for the purpose of exporting its members’ surplus honey.
In 1910 Mr W Lenz had extended his operations to Taranaki, but in 1913 decided to sell his Taranaki holdings. A small co-operative was formed to buy the bees to sell them out to the members in lots, and to act as a marketing operation. The New Zealand Co-op Honey Producers’ Association Ltd (HPA) was formed by HW Gilling (Matapu), HR Penny (Okaiawa), GH Buckeridge (of Eltham, the agent of the Farmers’ Co-operative Organisation Society, which handled produce for export to England on consignment), HW Warcup (Hawera), HB Nicholas (Hawera), AR Bates (Kaponga), WJ Melville (Kaponga) and CE Grainger (Te Kiri) on 17 December 1913. It was initially built around the packing operation of Mr HW Gilling in Hawera.
There was no initial capital, with share capital being obtained by deductions from payments for honey supplied. Payments to members were financed by bank overdrafts secured by Joint and Several Guarantee for £8,000 by the Directors and by advances on honey shipped to the Company’s British agents.
The increase in production led to talk of exports at Association meetings. In 1913 the Department of Agriculture drew up voluntary grading regulations, grading solely on colour. Mr John Montgomery, a seed merchant of Christchurch, exported some 33 tons that season to England relying on the voluntary grading regulations. The next season other firms offered a slightly better price than the 4d per pound received in 1913, and about 70 tons were exported from Canterbury. In the first year of grading, the Government graders graded 1,200 hundredweight of honey.
In late 1913 Mr Robert Gibb resigned his position on the Executive and was replaced by the appointment of Mr CA Jackonsen (Canterbury).