Apiculture (beekeeping)
The New Zealand honey and beekeeping industry is quickly becoming a major contributor to our economy, with thousands of registered beekeepers all over the country. Honey is highly valued all over the world.
Job overview
With our programmes, you’ll learn how to spot hazards, identify diseases, and understand all the ins and outs of bees and their behaviour.
You can be involved in apiculture in many ways. Set up your own hives. Or work for small- or large-scale commercial operations as a junior beekeeper or team leader. If you enjoy working outdoors and have a passion for bees, you'll find a rewarding career in apiculture.
Skills and experience
- Physically fit – moving and harvesting hives requires heavy lifting
- Eager to learn and train while you work
- Comfortable around bees
- Able to work with others to achieve team goals
- Enjoy working outdoors
- Able to work independently or as part of a team
- Able and eligible to work in New Zealand and pass a drug test
Jobs on offer
From tractors to quad bikes and everything in between. Get yourself or your team trained with our hugely popular vehicle and machinery micro-credentials in 2023!
From agriculture to horticulture, vineyards to fish farms, and everything in between, strong team leadership skills are essential to building a successful and high performing team.
A new apiculture apprenticeship programme launched just before New Zealand’s first Covid-19 lockdown 2020 has become a useful tool to combat the skills shortage for large apiaries operation Comvita.