Celebrating New Zealand Mānuka Honey Day

December 2025

New Zealand’s Unique Gift

New Zealand Mānuka Honey Day is celebrated annually on the first Monday in November to signal the start of the mānuka honey harvest. Established by the Unique Mānuka Factor® Honey Association (UMFHA), this day aims to highlight the remarkable health benefits of mānuka honey and recognize the dedication of New Zealand’s beekeepers. As bees in the subtropical north begin visiting the blossoms of the Leptospermum scoparium (mānuka), this six-week flowering period initiates a seasonal journey that lasts into March, with blooms emerging later in the cooler southern regions of New Zealand.

A Rich Tradition and a Bright Future

The mānuka tree, or Leptospermum scoparium, native to New Zealand, has been a cornerstone of the local ecosystem for centuries. Despite its modest size, this shrub is pivotal in ecosystem regeneration, often the first to recover after environmental disturbances like fires or floods. Long before European settlers arrived, New Zealand’s indigenous Māori people revered the mānuka tree for its medicinal properties, teaching us a profound lesson in living harmoniously with nature.

When the European honeybee arrived in New Zealand about 200 years ago, it joined forces with the mānuka tree to produce a unique honey—pungent, dark, and robust. Unlike the white clover varieties familiar to Europeans, this honey has only started to reveal its extraordinary benefits in the past two decades. Rich in antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-supportive bioactive components, this unique honey has become a popular natural health food for households across the globe.

Supporting Local Communities and Biodiversity

Mānuka honey’s rising acclaim plays a crucial role in supporting New Zealand's rural economies. Local farms are increasingly planting mānuka trees to combat erosion and regenerate native forests, helping to sustain the region's biodiversity. This not only protects the environment but also creates employment opportunities for those involved in sharing this local treasure with the world.

About the UMF™ Honey Association (UMFHA)

The Unique Mānuka Factor® Honey Association (UMFHA) is an independent society based in New Zealand, dedicated to setting and certifying the standards for bioactive mānuka honey for over 25 years. Representing more than 80% of New Zealand’s mānuka honey exporters, UMFHA guarantees the authenticity and quality of mānuka honey through its UMF certification. This ensures that consumers receive a product they can trust, backed by rigorous testing and quality control.

Click to read our article on UMF Certifications: Understanding Their Significance for Your Mānuka Honey

Join us in celebrating New Zealand Mānuka Honey Day and discover the remarkable health benefits of this unique gift from nature!

The Mānuka Health Difference

Our story starts with a team of more than 80 skilled individuals committed to managing 21,000 hives across New Zealand, establishing us as the largest operation in the country.

Guided by a blend of instinct and science, our team explores the expansive landscapes of New Zealand in search of sites rich in manuka trees and teeming with life—an ideal haven for our bees. Spanning 160,000 acres of pristine terrain, these remote corners provide the perfect conditions for our bees to thrive and meticulously craft honey, propolis, and royal jelly.

As stewards of these remarkable creatures, our duty extends to enhancing their efforts, ensuring productive, content, and thriving hives year-round. At Mānuka Health, we lead the charge in queen bee genetics research, developing disease-resistant hives to safeguard the health of New Zealand honeybees for generations to come.

We are among a select few honey producers who extract, process, and bottle our liquid gold in our own state-of-the-art facilities. This hands-on approach allows us to ensure quality, integrity, and authenticity at every step, preserving our honey’s remarkable properties and guaranteeing each jar is infused with unparalleled purity and potency.

Every drop of our honey is rigorously tested and consistently proven to be pure and effective. The liquid gold in each jar is traceable back to its source—right down to the beekeeper who meticulously harvested it.

Certified and authenticated, Mānuka Health embodies the pristine purity of native New Zealand. From the hive to the jar, and into your home, our honey reflects the highest standards of excellence.