Te Tumu Paeroa has officially signed the agreement to become a shareholder in Mānuka Research Partnership Limited who are making innovative strides in the mānuka honey industry.
The aim of the company is to grow returns for the mānuka honey industry through applied research. Te Tumu Paeroa’s interest is in creating greater returns for owners of the lands they administer and for Maori land owners in general.
The co-investors represent a range of interests and all aspects of the supply chain, from small scale farmers, apiarists to large scale interests. The partnership includes Landcorp, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Don and Conchita Tweeddale (one of the country’s largest beekeepers), Nukuhau Carbon Limited, Arborex Industries Limited and the globally recognised natural health products company, Comvita.
Currently Te Tumu Paeroa has about 10% of land under its administration in mānuka. Mānuka is particularly suitable for marginal land blocks and can provide both financial return and erosion control. A project team of specialists within Te Tumu Paeroa has been formed to assess the opportunities available for harvesting mānuka for honey and to continue to develop an ongoing strategy around management and investment opportunities.
Te Tumu Paeroa’s Funds Management & Commercial Development General Manager, Debbie Birch signed the contract and is excited by what the partnership will bring. “The partnership is looking at some new opportunites for mānuka that includes looking to increase the quality of manuka honey, lengthen the season and produce more honey per manuka plant. This investment in knowledge aligns with Te Tumu Paeroa’s mission of unlocking the potential of Māori land. Working with this partnership enables us to be at the forefront of extremely important research that benefits land owners,” says Debbie.
Mānuka Research Partnership Limited are co-investing in a Primary Growth Partnership programme with Comvita Limited and the Ministry for Primary Industries called High Performance Mānuka Plantations. The approximately $3 million, seven year programme has set its sights on lifting the value of the New Zealand mānuka honey industry from an estimated $75 million in 2010 towards $1.2 billion per annum by 2028.