AFB plan review

Welcome to NZ Beekeepers+
Would you like to join the rest of our members? Feel free to sign up today.
Sign up
3,578
6,706
Hawkes Bay
Experience
Commercial
The management agency for the national American foulbrood pest management plan is having a review which will guide its operations for the next 10 years. The first part of this consultation round runs from 24 June to 16 July and is an email survey which you can find at afb.org.nz/review-of-plan-order
I have just filled it out and it gives you plenty of opportunity to praise, condemn or ask for changes.
I covered quite a few things including getting themselves a name that is not a sentence .Also the possibility of having legislation on the selling of secondhand beekeeping equipment that is not associated with live hives that can be inspected. With the new swabbing Q PCR technology available perhaps it is time that old beekeeping junk can no longer be sold unless it has a clean bill of health. It might even help some people as I for one would not buy old gear from the back of someone shed but I might do if they could prove it was clean.
Now is your chance to advocate for dogs (I did) harsher penalties or even its abolition if that is the way you feel.

I would really appreciate any suggestions for a new name as The management agency national American foulbrood pest management plan, is really but much.
I will start with
AFB NZ
 

Morporks

Banned
100
51
New Zealand
Experience
Commercial
the most urgent thing that needs to happen is for the management agency to be separated from Apinz or any other organisation.
Under the order in councils Apinz is responsible for running the AFB PMP.
Based on official information request responses, Apinz board does very little, if any over site of the running of the AFB PMP, ie they have tied to abdicate their responsibilities .

Because ApiNZ has ultimate power to appoint people to the management agency members of Apinz can influence the selection of people and how the agency is run. Sounds good until you find out what percentage of the beekeeping industry is a member of ApiNZ. I understand direct membership is in a few hundreds. This means that most beekeepers have very little say in how the AFB PMP is run and how their money is spent.

Once a proper governance structure is put in place representing all beekeepers progress will be made
 
270
317
Gisborne Tairawhiti
Experience
Researcher
Based on official information request responses, Apinz board does very little, if any over site of the running of the AFB PMP, ie they have tied to abdicate their responsibilities .
Err, that's because there's a separate management board for the AFBPMP. I suspect you know this. Nothing about trying to abdicate responsibilities. NZBI have been invited on to the board of the agency as well
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Bee Real

NickWallingford

BOP Club
298
434
Tauranga
Experience
Retired
Let's cut to the chase: the Mgmt Agency must be an 'entity' that the Minister can be confident is able to proceed with a pest managment plan.

So far as I am aware, there are only 3 national pest management plans, including our own. At least one of the others is set up as a separate company, with a range of stakeholders comprising the actual agency. All I'm meaning to say is that the Minister is not going to set up something himself involving elections from levy payers or any such thing.

Ultimately, it is an *entity* that puts forward a request for a PMP, that applies for the PMP. And at this time, it seems to me that ApiNZ is the only *entity* that is willing to step up to maintain what has been the case now for 23 years. So if any grouping/consortium/identifiable subset of the industry thinks it can provide a PMP to address AFB, one that can be more industry acceptable, and show capability of delivering on a plan? Then go for it, and propose a 'different' PMP.

But right now I see ApiNZ as the peak representative body for the NZ beekeeping industry, even if only by default, as most of the rest is criticism but lacking in alternatives or organisation or governanace or delivery capability. So as I see it, the beekeeping industry needs to look at the current plan.

Propose changes, suggest tweaks, say what has been effective, aspects that you feel have not worked - give feedback on the National Pest Management Plan. Critique the plan and its powers and its rules. Query the assumptions, the cost:benefit, the expectations and budgets and methodologies described.

But if your primary concern is with ApiNZ as 'the Management Agency', appointing the board that provides governance to the Pest Management Plan? Are you saying then that the plan is actually OK and acceptable, but you don't like the thought of ApiNZ being the Mgmt Agency? Show me another *entity* that is willing and able to actually do it all, or go away and create a coalition that can actually purport to be able to deliver what is needed...
 
3,578
6,706
Hawkes Bay
Experience
Commercial
Apinz appoint the board and the board is run independently (and pretty well as far as I'm concerned). Is there any reason that Apinz could not run elections for board members rather than appointing them. They might even get some more members.
 

StephenB

Banned
199
85
New Zealand
Experience
Commercial
But if your primary concern is with ApiNZ as 'the Management Agency', appointing the board that provides governance to the Pest Management Plan? Are you saying then that the plan is actually OK and acceptable, but you don't like the thought of ApiNZ being the Mgmt Agency? Show me another *entity* that is willing and able to actually do it all, or go away and create a coalition that can actually purport to be able to deliver what is needed...
Cutting to chase as you say
There is no Peak industry body for beekeeping, and there has not been one for years.

Perhaps having an open mind willing to think about new ideas, maybe add to them to create a really good idea.

But what must happen for the AFB PMP to be successful is that all beekeepers must be able to have an active input into the governance of the plan. We currently have a dictatorship were a small elite group have control and seem to be determined to hang onto it.

Are you aware that the ombudsman had to force ApiNZ to release minutes of the AFB governance meetings? not once but at least twice if not more.

Are you aware that ApiNZ changed the levy from an apiary levy to a hive levy against the wishes of the majority?
Are you aware that ApiNZ was happy take no action to rectify serious mistakes in the new levy order but let other groups foot the bill to get the mistakes rectified and so on

So for me the most important thing we need to achieve with the review is to give back control of the AFB PMP to the levy payers
 

NickWallingford

BOP Club
298
434
Tauranga
Experience
Retired
So for me the most important thing we need to achieve with the review is to give back control of the AFB PMP to the levy payers

"Give back control".

Beekeepers who paid a Commodity Levy in the first few years of the PMP had 'control', in the sense that they directly elected the NBA Exec, who acted as the statutory Mgmt Agency. The loss of beekeeper/levy payer confidence in that model (and the NBA), evidenced by the loss of the Comm Levy in 2002, saw the Minister approve a new levy, as he still believed the PMP was necessary and appropriate. The Minister retained the NBA as Mgmt Agency, as it was the industry organisation that he felt capable of delivering the PMP for the industry, even if it was not able to demonstrate it had the support of the levy payers.

So far as I am aware, there are *no* Pest Management Plans (national or regional) where the levy payers vote to elect the Mgmt Agency. In some cases, people are appointed to the Mgmt Agency by various stakeholder organisations. But even then, it is by selection rather than by voting...

Both the PMP and its associated levy are at the pleasure of the Minister. It is not the Minister's role to set up a Mgmt Agency, or require a particular type of voting system to create one. His role considers the proposal for a PMP and makes decisions on whether he believes the proposer is capable of delivering on the objectives within it.

For the last 20 years, the Minister has relied on first the NBA, and now ApiNZ to be the Mgmt Agency, even though neither of them have chosen their management agency governance board by direct election.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bee Real

Alastair

Founder Member
Platinum
8,753
9,966
Auckland
Experience
Semi Commercial
Are you aware that ApiNZ changed the levy from an apiary levy to a hive levy against the wishes of the majority?

Not the way I remember it.

As I recall, there was a lot of agitation from small beekeepers with several apiaries with only a few hives, who felt they were paying more than their fair share.

So it was put to a vote, and the small beekeepers with only a few hives per apiary won out, and the levy was changed to per hive regardless of how many apiaries.

The will of the people was followed.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Trevor Gillbanks
349
449
Bay of Plenty
Experience
Commercial
So for me the most important thing we need to achieve with the review is to give back control of the AFB PMP to the levy payers
Every board member on the AFB management board are Levey payers, 4 commercial and 3 hobbyists.
But you know that already Steve.
Are you aware that ApiNZ changed the levy from an apiary levy to a hive levy against the wishes of the majority?
As in any vote be it council, govt or organizations, those that vote on the day decide the outcome.
The majority voted and their wishes were put into plan.
Based on official information request responses, Apinz board does very little, if any over site of the running of the AFB PMP, ie they have tied to abdicate their responsibilities .
There is a AFB Board who manage the plan as you well know, as long as they are meeting their obligations under the legislation they are left to do that. APINZ is up to speed on what goes on.
Because ApiNZ has ultimate power to appoint people to the management agency members of Apinz can influence the selection of people and how the agency is run.
APINZ does not pick the board, any levy payer can put their name forward to be on the AFB board when elections come around, all the names are forward to an independent organization/company (that does this sort of thing) that then picks the names they feel right for the strengths and experience the board is looking for at that particular time. That way there is no biased picking. The only seat that APINZ has a say on is the one seat reserved for APINZ board member, which is the seat that I am in as an APINZ Board member Rep. Which is the same seat that NBA used to hold. But you know that already.
 

Alastair

Founder Member
Platinum
8,753
9,966
Auckland
Experience
Semi Commercial
Are you aware that ApiNZ was happy take no action to rectify serious mistakes in the new levy order but let other groups foot the bill to get the mistakes rectified and so on

No, not aware of that either.

I think what you are referring to was a thing about a misunderstanding around a written date. Which had no adverse effect on anything but was blown up to be like some incredible scandal by a couple of stirrers and malcontents. Your average beekeeper on the street recognised the whole thing was a storm in a teacup, a meaningless diversion.

Like Yesbut said

My observation over the years is that beekeepers as a species are genetically incapable of making the tiniest compromise that will impinge on their freedom to do what they want, so unification of any order is an impossibility.
 
445
327
Mid Canterbury
Experience
Semi Commercial
As I recall, there was a lot of agitation from small beekeepers with several apiaries with only a few hives, who felt they were paying more than their fair share.
There was also an issue for commercial outfits relying heavily on pollination contracts. Often these contracts are for 10-12 hives (sometimes less hives) per contract, and whilst these commercial outfits had as many or more hives than other commercial outfits in other parts of the country whose income sources and apiary practises differed, the pollination outfits were paying per apiary and by taking it to a hive levy this has decreased their levy to the AFB PMP.
 

NickWallingford

BOP Club
298
434
Tauranga
Experience
Retired
Irony abounds...

The NBA starting in 1975 collected a levy based on hive numbers for all bkprs with 50+ hives.

For a range of reasons relating mostly to declarations, under-reporting and clear definitions of 'a hive', the NBA chose in 1996 to proceed with an apiary number-based levy, using the Commodity Levy Act.

Literally some of the same individuals who opposed the change to apiaries way back then are now upset that the levy has gone back to per hive...

Go figure...
 
349
449
Bay of Plenty
Experience
Commercial
No, not aware of that either.

I think what you are referring to was a thing about a misunderstanding around a written date. Which had no adverse effect on anything but was blown up to be like some incredible scandal by a couple of stirrers and malcontents. Your average beekeeper on the street recognised the whole thing was a storm in a teacup, a meaningless diversion.

Like Yesbut said
MPI have two advisory seats at the table, Steve and Morepork think that the AFB board decide things in a darken basement,
The board spends lots of its time checking with MPI and Lawyers and the Minister. At this stage many arguments that have been put up by those against the Board, have all been dismissed by the minister and the one before. The board do work for you.
You may not like paying a levy, or the AFB plan, or whatever else about the AFBPMP, if so, then have your say in this consultation round.
 
3,578
6,706
Hawkes Bay
Experience
Commercial
I didn't start this thread to open old wounds between Apinz and New Zealand beekeeping Inc.
While I would like to see a more democratic process for appointing board members I have no problem with the existing or past board members and have publicly stated that Clifton and his team are doing an excellent job .
I started this thread to encourage people to make submissions on how a good system could be made even better.
If people want to apportion blame perhaps they should do it to the politicians that destroyed the old apiarys act.
I was not particularly involved with the establishment of the AFB PMP but I knew a lot of people who were and it was a long and difficult process to get any sense out of the government. What we have now is a testament to all their hard work, they didn't get all they wanted but they got something that was workable.
Beekeeping is going to really struggle to pay for running the AFB PMP over the next few years but these are exactly the times when we will need it the most.
 
445
327
Mid Canterbury
Experience
Semi Commercial
Apinz appoint the board and the board is run independently (and pretty well as far as I'm concerned). Is there any reason that Apinz could not run elections for board members rather than appointing them. They might even get some more members.
Hi John - Any suggestions on how this election would work, and what type of voting system?

I agree, the review is exactly that a review, and surely with 9000 beekeepers in NZ (many of whom unfortunately for a variety of reasons don't belong to any industry organisation) there must be some with good ideas to help improve the system.
 
349
449
Bay of Plenty
Experience
Commercial
Hi John - Any suggestions on how this election would work, and what type of voting system?

I agree, the review is exactly that a review, and surely with 9000 beekeepers in NZ (many of whom unfortunately for a variety of reasons don't belong to any industry organisation) there must be some with good ideas to help improve the system.
It is more than a review people, the plan runs out in 2023, have your say as to what happens from 2023.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trevor Gillbanks
3,578
6,706
Hawkes Bay
Experience
Commercial
Hi John - Any suggestions on how this election would work, and what type of voting system?
Personally I would go with one vote per levy payer. I just like the democratic process and having Alexis would not necessarily make the board run more smoothly or better in fact that would quite likely be the opposite, but it would be democratic.
Hi Dennis.
It might be more than review but (review of the National American foulbrood pest management plan) is what it's called on the leaflet that I was given at conference. Personally I would hate for it to have anything more than minor reviews because it's working pretty well but if we want to keep it we will all have to give it our support.
 


Top