Apiculture career programme has excited cadets buzzing

In demand: Experienced beekeepers are needed throughout New Zealand due to overseas demand for bee products.

Sweet Careers: Former WHS students Robert O'Brien and Avril Pehi are half-way through their Comvita cadetships in beekeeping.

Two Whanganui men have achieved national certificates in apiculture level 3 through Comvita's Building Better Beekeeping cadet programme.

Avril Pehi, 16, and Robert O'Brien, 21, began cadetships at Comvita's Kiwi Bee Whanganui apiary in 2016 and are now half-way through the programme.

There are 10 aspiring beekeepers on the cadet programme. It provides participants with fulltime paid employment, a study programme for achieving a national certificate in apiculture level 3, all personal protective equipment and other beekeeping tools.

Mr Pehi, who grew up in Raetihi and attended Ruapehu College, left school to pursue a career in apiculture.

"As manuka honey grows in popularity, beekeepers are becoming more sought-after," he said.

"Entering the industry was an easy decision for me to make. With Comvita, we travel to hive sites in remote parts of the central North Island. The countryside we visit is really cool and not many people know it's there. I'd encourage anyone who likes working outdoors to consider getting into beekeeping."

Former Whanganui High School student Mr O'Brien, who grew up in Waverley, had been in the beekeeping industry for three years before he gained a place in the Comvita cadet programme.

"It's the only programme in the industry to offer a formal qualification alongside work experience," Mr O'Brien said.

"It makes your career pathway really clear. We've been specifically allocated time within work hours to complete our theory, making work-life balance easier to manage. I'm so proud to have achieved my national certificate in apiculture."

Comvita chief executive Scott Coulter says the need for experienced beekeepers is continuing to grow due to the increasing demand for New Zealand bee products internationally.

By Sue Dudman
Wanganui Chronicle 30/9/17