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Do you actually know who owns the Manuka honey in your pantry? The answer might change what you buy next.

The surprising truth about who's really behind New Zealand's biggest honey brands — and why it matters for your family.

By Victoria Miller

April 6, 2026

Unless you know who's behind the label,

 

you could be paying premium prices for a product that answers to offshore boardrooms instead of New Zealand beekeepers. 

 

I used to assume every jar of Manuka honey on the shelf came from a small Kiwi family doing things the right way.

 

I was wrong.

 

It wasn't until I started looking into the shareholder registers and ownership structures of some of the biggest names in NZ honey that I realised how different this industry really is from what most people imagine.

 

So before you spend another dollar on a jar that looks authentic — with the ferns, the mountains, the "100% New Zealand" badge — take a moment to look a little deeper.

I'm here to share what I found so you can make an informed choice about the honey you feed your family.

I didn't set out to dig into corporate ownership. I set out to find good honey. But when you have a closeer look you start asking questions.

 

When I discovered that the largest shareholder in one of New Zealand's most recognised Manuka honey brands appeared to be an offshore investor — and that a China state-linked entity held another significant stake — I had to look closer.

 

I spent weeks going through publicly available shareholder data, NZX filings, and company announcements. What I found wasn't a scandal. It was something quieter and, in some ways, more important.

 

Many of the honey brands New Zealanders trust most are publicly listed companies. That means they're owned by shareholders — not families. 

 

Not beekeepers. Shareholders. Some domestic. Some offshore. Some with ties to state-owned enterprises on the other side of the world.

 

There's nothing illegal about that. But most people buying a jar of Manuka honey for their family have absolutely no idea.

 

And I think you deserve to know.

To understand why this matters, you need to understand how ownership changes what ends up in your jar.

 

Allow me to explain...
When a honey company is publicly listed and answering to shareholders, the pressure is on margins, volume, and quarterly returns.


That means decisions about how honey is harvested, processed, and graded start being made in boardrooms — not in the field, not at the hive, and not by the people who actually understand what makes honey extraordinary.


It means corners can be cut. Processing gets faster. Heat gets higher. Filtration gets finer. Pollen — one of the most nutrient-dense parts of raw honey — gets stripped out because it makes the product look "cleaner" on the shelf.


Think of it this way: the honey you see in a perfectly clear, golden jar has often been processed to look that way. The natural goodness — the enzymes, the pollen, the raw complexity — has been cooked and filtered out to create a uniform product that scales easily.


That's what shareholders want. Consistency at volume.
But that's not what your body wants. Your body wants honey the way the bees made it.

When your honey comes from a company chasing shareholder returns, you risk getting:

Over-processed honey stripped of its natural pollen and enzymes...

Generic blends from mixed sources with no real traceability...

Premium prices for a product that's been optimised for shelf life, not your health...

A brand story that sounds Kiwi but answers to offshore capital...

Marketing that promises "pure New Zealand" while the real decisions are made far from the hive...

When your honey is raw, unfiltered, and made by people who answer to the hive — not a boardroom — you get:

Real enzymes and antioxidants, intact and active...

Real raw honey potted by hand

Genuine antibacterial potency from natural MGO...

Full traceability — you know the batch, the hive, and the beekeeper...

A thick, rich, complex flavour that processed honey simply cannot match...

Your hard-earned money going to hard working Kiwis

So who actually owns the big brands? Here's what the public records show.

Now, I want to be clear — I'm not here to attack anyone. These are facts drawn from publicly available shareholder filings and NZX announcements. You can verify them yourself.

 

One of New Zealand's most iconic Manuka honey brands is a publicly listed company on the NZX. Its largest disclosed shareholder holds around 12% of the company. A China state-linked entity holds another significant stake. Together, these two shareholders have held close to 18% and have been noted as influential during major corporate decisions.

 

This same company has faced financial pressure in recent years — losses, debt concerns, and recapitalisation discussions have all appeared in public filings and market commentary.

 

Now here are three things worth considering when you choose your next jar of honey:

1.

A publicly listed company answers to its shareholders — not to you. That means product decisions, sourcing decisions, and quality decisions are filtered through a financial lens first. When margins are tight, quality is often the first thing that gives.

2.

Offshore shareholder influence isn't just theoretical. When a company is under financial pressure, the people who can provide capital often end up steering strategy.  Sounds like conspiracy, but that's how publicly listed companies work.

3.

"100% New Zealand" on the label doesn't mean "New Zealand owned." A company can source honey from NZ, pack it in NZ, and print a NZ flag on every jar — while its ownership, strategic direction, and profit flow sit largely overseas. The origin of the honey and the ownership of the company are two completely different things.

After learning all of this, I became even more committed to doing things differently. That's why Wrights Honey and other small companys exist the way they do.

Wrights Honey is a family-owned operation based in the North Island of New Zealand. They are certainly not listed on any stock exchange. 

 

They don't have offshore shareholders. They don't have a board of directors in a city tower making decisions about how our honey gets made.

 

They have beekeepers. In the family. In the field.

  

Their honey is not overheated. Not microfiltered. They never strip out the good stuff to make it look pretty on a shelf.

 

Every single jar is batch-labelled and traceable to the hive location it came from. You can see exactly where and when your honey was harvested.

 

That's not a marketing gimmick. That's just what happens when the people making the honey are the same people selling the honey — and eating it at their own kitchen table.

 

Wrights Honey is:

 

✓ 100% family-owned and operated — no shareholders, no boardroom

 

✓ Raw and unfiltered — all natural enzymes and antioxidants preserved

 

✓ MGO-graded Manuka — 100+, 350+, and 500+ potency options

 

✓ Fully traceable — batch number and hive location on every jar

 

✓ Hand-harvested and hand-poured in the North Island of New Zealand

James S.

"We switched from one of the big brands to Wrights and honestly, the difference hit us straight away. The taste is richer, the texture is thicker, and knowing exactly where it came from matters to our family."

5

Emily J.

"I used to buy Manuka from the supermarket without thinking about it. Once I found out how those companies actually operate, I started looking for something more honest. Wrights is it."

5

Olivia J.

"My kids have a spoonful every morning before school. I feel good knowing it's real, raw, and made by people who actually care — not a corporation."

45

Sophia D

"I convinced my mother to switch too. She said she could taste the difference immediately. We're not going back."

10

Your satisfaction is top priority.

 

They stand behind every jar with a hassle-free, no-questions-asked refund policy. 

 

If Wrights Honey doesn't meet your expectations, they will make it Wright.

Multi Floral Honey

best seller

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Remember...

It's not just about what's in the jar.

It's about who's behind it.

It's about knowing the hands that harvested your honey, the hive it came from, and the family that stands behind every batch.

It's about choosing a honey that answers to you — not to a boardroom on the other side of the world.

No offshore shareholders...

No corporate pressure...

No compromise.

Limited availability! Up to 25% off this month!!

Multi Floral Honey · Glass

Honest country honey from our Northland apiary. Same hives as our Manuka, different blooms, different season. Raw, never heated, never blended with imported honey.

Why Multi Floral?

This isn't Manuka. It's the everyday jar, for cooking, baking, the kids' breakfast, drizzled on yoghurt or porridge. Our bees forage across kanuka, clover, and native NZ wildflowers, mixing naturally into a smooth, butterscotch-toned honey.

What you'll notice

  • Lighter golden colour than Manuka
  • Subtle butterscotch and wildflower notes
  • Slightly thicker than typical supermarket honey
  • Sometimes crystallised in cooler months, which is normal for raw honey

What's in the jar

  • Raw, unheated Multi Floral honey
  • Northland harvest
  • Hand-poured into glass
  • Batch number handwritten on every label

What's not in the jar

  • No heat treatment
  • No micro-filtration
  • No blended honey from other sources
  • No plastic packaging, ever

Family-owned. Father-and-son operation. Free shipping in NZ on orders over $50.

For our high-MGO Manuka range, see 350+ MGO Manuka.

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