Hive of activity:
How a Kaitaia honey business is creating jobs in the community.
When her husband Rob came to her with the idea of getting into the honey business, Lon Murray was a little hesitant. Rob had run a range of businesses, from commercial fishing to trucking, and was keen to strike out on his own again.
“When he said, ‘Let’s do bees’ I panicked because we’d just bought a house,” says Lon.
“We sat down, we got our accountant and had a look at all our paperwork and projected the look of the business and he was behind Rob so we just went with it.
“But, of course, I had to keep working for quite a few years,” she laughs, “just to help us get through the early days.”
Ten years later, it’s a gamble that has paid off for the Murrays and their company, Tai Tokerau Honey. Their enterprise is now the subject of local docu-series Honey Wars.
It follows the ups and downs of the fickle honey business but also the close bonds and teamwork of this wh nau-run business. “It’s not just 9 to 5 when you own your own business. It’s 24/7 really. Especially with Rob who never stops thinking about what’s next.” Rob is the head ‘bumblebee’, a real character and born optimist while ‘queen bee’ former school teacher Lon gently keeps this hive of activity buzzing – and also helps calm the waters when required. Tai Tokerau Honey is one of the largest employers in Kaitaia and Lon says it was always their aim to do something to help the local people. “Rob and I, we looked at our community and thought, ‘Gee, there’s not a lot going on, for our family or for the communities really, in the way of employment. “So it was always a big drive behind us to provide employment.
Lon and Rob Murray
And it just happens that we’ve got a big wh nau so a lot of them are our own. But they’re great workers.”
Despite the popularity of manuka honey, both here and overseas, the honey business isn’t always so sweet. Lon says the honey yields have been down these past few seasons but the bees have picked up the pace this year.
“It’s looking up a bit. It had to really as it’s been hard on all beekeepers and the industry.”
But it’s not just the vagaries of the bees or the weather that the Murrays have to contend with. There’s stiff competition in the honey market as they compete with big commercial brands.
They also have to deal with poachers trying to make easy money by stealing beehives. Who knew beekeeping could be so dramatic?
While she is excited to share their story with viewers, Lon says she was initially “pretty reluctant” when they were approached about filming the series.
“I’m very camera shy and so are my boys, my two sons, so we avoided the camera a bit but a lot of the crew were great. They just went with it.”
The Murrays’ sons, George and
Wayne, also work in the business alongside the Murrays’ nephews, nieces, siblings and other family members and friends who help keep the honey flowing.
Tai Tokerau Honey is a 100 per cent M ori-owned business and Lon says their tikanga is “in everything we do”.
“It’s right down to how Rob and the boys all handle the bees and care for them, and the environment. And it’s about giving back to our people whenever we can.”
Their passion and respect for their work is also what makes their honey so special.
“We’ve worked really hard so now we can provide the honey right from the beekeeping to the jar on your shelf. We do everything and what goes into that jar is huge, you know? There’s a big story behind it.”
So what is the best way to consume their honey?
“Straight up, just on a teaspoon,” Lon says.
“I love honey but prior to owning the business I really never paid much attention to it. But now just all the different flavours, I mean you can get UMF10+ across a range of different batches. The different flavours you get is just incredible.”