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Home / The Country

Rotorua beekeeper Kim Poynter ecstatic with National Honey Competition results

Shauni James
By Shauni James
Rotorua Weekender reporter·Rotorua Daily Post·
1 Jul, 2021 10:32 PM3 mins to read

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Rotorua beekeeper Kim Poynter's awards. Photo / Supplied

Rotorua beekeeper Kim Poynter's awards. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand's best honey producers have been named at the Apiculture New Zealand National Honey Competition, and a Rotorua non-commercial beekeeper was ecstatic to be runner-up for the Supreme Award.

The competition was held at the industry's annual conference recently.

The conference hosted more than 1000 delegates from the apiculture industry at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre.

The National Honey Competition was one of the highlights of the event, honouring producers across a range of honey categories and naming the top overall producer at a gala dinner.

The 2021 Supreme Award winner was Jarved Allan of 100% Pure New Zealand Honey based in Timaru.

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Jarved received four gold and four silver medals for a variety of honeys including liquid honey, naturally granulated honey, creamed honey, honeydew and cut comb.

The runner-up was Rotorua-based, non-commercial beekeeper Kim Poynter who received two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

Kim says she was blown away by the awards she received because the vast majority of people who entered were commercial beekeepers and packers.

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"So when you're a small beekeeper, to know that your honey is able to win awards is quite a thrill, and I was particularly proud of the silver award received for my creamed honey."

She says this is because creamed honey requires human intervention, with stirring and keeping it at the right temperature, and it can be tricky to get right.

"I'm not a professional, this is my hobby."

Kim is also the president of the Rotorua Honey Bee Club, and she says they had their own internal competition prior to the national one.

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"We submitted the winner from our local club competition - Wendy Pickett - and we won the club competition at the national awards.

"We were absolutely delighted."

Kim says it is great the conference and national competition showcases New Zealand's honey.

"We only have the opportunity to pitch our honey against others once a year and it's all to international standards."

She says every year the standard of entries goes up.

Kim's Bush Haven Farm honey is gathered from New Zealand native florals on Mount Ngongotahā.

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"Our bees are lovingly cared for in an undisturbed and peaceful location producing authentic and pure honey. It is available to purchase from Brown Owl Organics shop, Curiosity Blooms in Ngongotaha or via our website."

In third place were Jody and Ralph Mitchell, of Kaimai Range Honey, Tauranga, who received one gold, two silvers and a bronze medal.

Head judge Maureen Conquer says the judging panel had been extremely impressed with the quality and taste of the honeys entered.

"It was an absolute pleasure to sample these honeys over the past day and a half, and extremely difficult to determine the winners.

"The number and quality of entries is continuing to increase each year, showing the true wealth of talent in our industry," she told those present at the awards ceremony.

All entries were blind tasted, and an international scale of points was used to determine the winners across 12 main categories.

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Apiculture New Zealand chief executive Karin Kos says the awards are highly contested among beekeepers and honey producers.

"Our industry knows that a medal in the ApiNZ National Honey Awards indicates the highest quality of honey.

"We have so many beautiful honeys available in New Zealand, but the National Honey Award winners have produced something truly special."

The Apiculture New Zealand conference also was an opportunity to celebrate other successes within the industry, with awards presented to those making outstanding achievements in apiculture science, innovation, sustainability and photography.

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