Honey sector strategy aiming for sweet spot
While confident that the apiculture sector can meet its target of doubling honey exports by 2030, chair of ApicultureNZ, Nathan Guy, says it will be challenging.
The Huanui College students from Whangarei are this year's winners of the Enterprising Primary Industries Careers (EPIC) Challenge, with their winning entry "Bee in the Scene" which encourages students to consider a career in the apiculture industry.
Launched this year, EPIC is an initiative that hopes to attract students to the primary sector. EPIC challenges year 10 students to identify different careers within the industry and develop a marketing strategy to promote them to their classmates.
"The winning entry highlighted the variety of careers within the apiculture industry, from bee keeping, to microbiology and biochemistry," says Guy.
"The four students identified their target audience and developed a creative, modern marketing campaign – which included brochures, advertising, social media, and interviews with those working in the industry."
Overall, the EPIC challenge received 121 entries from 117 schools across the country; Huanui College also came first in the Dairy category of the competition.
"Many students don't realise that working in the primary industries goes beyond the farm and covers a whole range of careers – from robotics, chemical engineering, food science, genetics and policy, right through to marketing our products internationally," says Guy.
"The EPIC challenge is just one of a whole raft of initiatives to attract the best and brightest to our sector."
