The Ultimate Guide To New Zealand Honey Varieties

Types of New Zealand Honey Varieties

There are a wide range of honey types produced in New Zealand. In this section, we cover some of the names you might come across...

Manuka honey

Naturally, we’ll kick off with our favourite, Manuka honey.

Manuka honey is made from the nectar of the Leptospermum scoparium or mānuka bush.

This plant has a range of special properties that were recognised by indigenous Māori people for its medicinal uses long before honeybees reached Aotearoa, New Zealand.

The mānuka tree grows throughout the length of the country and plays an important role in reforesting disturbed land, helping to create a safe space for other native plants, insects and birds to thrive.

Manuka honey is also one of the most extensively researched types of honey worldwide, with decades of scientific focus that began in the 1980s.

This started with Peter Molan at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. He discovered that while most honeys provide strong antibacterial activity due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H202), Manuka honey continued to exhibit powerful antibacterial properties even when the H202 was removed.

This led to the discovery of methylglyoxal (MGO) as the compound responsible for its potent activity.

MGO provides potent antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral properties and more. And whilst some other honey types contain MGO, Manuka honey provides up to 100x more than other honeys.

Since then, countless studies have emerged to confirm or challenge the findings, leading to Manuka honey being used not just for food, but for medicinal purposes as well.

Learn more: What does MGO mean on Manuka honey?

Manuka honey can be used for a wide range of issues, including:

• Soothing and helping to repair burns
• Supporting wound recovery and scars
• Helping to treat acne
• Helping with stomach issues
• Treating certain types of eczema
• Mouth ulcers
• Sinus infections
• Sore throats
• Colds
• Asthma
• Supporting the immune system
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Improving oral health & gingivitis
• Candida, thrush & yeast infections
• And much more...

If you're interested in learning about Manuka honey, check out our blog, where we publish well-researched information on all topics relating to Manuka honey.

Shop now: Explore our Manuka honey range here

Kānuka honey

The kānuka (Kunzea ericoides) plant is often confused with its more well-known cousin, mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium).

However, whilst they both belong to the same family of plants (myrtle) and have a similar appearance, the honeys that come from mānuka and kānuka are quite different.

Kānuka honey has been researched for its use in treating rosacea, acnitic keratosis, and more.

Beechforest honeydew honey

Also known as beech honey, forest honeydew, and beech wood, this type of honey is often sourced from the beech forests at the foot of our Southern Alps in New Zealand.

Just like Manuka honey, there have been studies into the antibacterial properties of honeydew honey, with some positive results.

Although not as widely studied, some research has suggested that honeydew honeys can exhibit higher antioxidant levels than nectar honeys.

Rather than being produced from blossom nectar, honeydew is a sweet, sticky substance left behind by insects.

When the bees collect this already-processed sap, the complex sugars are passed straight to the intestine rather than being broken down in the stomach, and this process makes honeydew a good prebiotic.

Typically a dark amber colour, it is often used in foods as a sugar substitute, or even in throat drops.

Kamahi honey

The kamahi or tawhero plant is a common shrub found in native forests throughout most of New Zealand.

Its inner bark has traditionally been used by Māori in tonics, often for abdominal pain or a laxative effect.

Kamahi honey is often creamed, and used in foods for a sweet caramel or toffee flavour. It’s readily available but less well known outside of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Rata honey

Rata is a native New Zealand plant, belonging to the same family as mānuka (myrtle).

There are 10-12 different species of rata, and they are often easy to spot with their bright red flowers that bloom in the summer months, standing out in the green of our native forests.

Some of the rata species grow as vines that wrap around other trees, slowly encompassing them over multiple centuries, while other species grow as standalone trees in the forest.

Featured in a few studies, rata honey has recently made it onto the global stage, winning medals in 2019 at the London International Honey Awards.

Pōhutukawa honey

Otherwise known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal plant that erupts with a stunning show of bright red flowers in Spring and Summer. It is also a member of the myrtle family, like rata and mānuka.

The honey made from pōhutukawa nectar is a lighter, off-white colour with a sweet, buttery, delicate taste.

It is not very common, and is well worth trying if you get the chance.

Fun fact: Five tins of pōhutukawa honey were gifted to Queen Elizabeth in 1953 to mark her coronation. She is said to have enjoyed it.

Rewarewa honey

The rewarewa plant, or New Zealand honeysuckle, is commonly found across the North Island of New Zealand, and the Marlborough Sounds in the top of the South Island.

This tree or shrub isn’t keen on the cold, so isn’t found much further into the South Island. It forms large, unique, dark red flowers around October to December.

Another feature of some research into NZ honey varieties and potential antibacterial activity, rewarewa honey was found to potentially have some unique benefits, but these are yet to be studied in more depth.

Known for its maltier taste, rewarewa is considered one of the richer honeys in flavour, sometimes said to have caramel or butterscotch notes.

Clover honey

Clover is one of the most common honey varieties sold in New Zealand. Because a large proportion of our land is used for farming, this provides ample opportunity for beekeepers to collect clover honey.

It is typically creamed to provide a nice texture, sold at a sharp price, and is a staple of many home kitchens and condiment selections in New Zealand. Think of clover as an 'everyday honey'.

Bush honey

The other common type of honey sold in New Zealand stores is 'bush honey'. This type of honey is produced by bees foraging on a range of different floral sources, rather than one specific species of plant.

Beekeepers will often place their hives next to native forests, giving their bees an abundant source of nectar for them to collect.

The taste, colour and texture of bush honey can vary widely. It's also typically sold at a lower price than specific floral varieties like Manuka honey.

Keep This in Mind When Buying NZ Honey

Not all honey is made the same. Beekeeping is a complex craft, with many factors affecting the final product.

Variables such as rain, wind, seasonal weather patterns, soil health, plant diversity surrounding the hive, and much more contribute to how the honey turns out.

Monofloral vs. multifloral honey

In the last section, we mentioned how bush honey comes from a range of different floral sources.

This is known as multifloral honey, which means that the bees foraged from a range of different plant species to source the nectar they turned into honey.

By comparison, 'monofloral' honey comes primarily from a single plant source (such as mānuka or rata).

This matters because:

1. Bees can fly up to 5km from the hive to source nectar. For them to produce monofloral honey, the hives need to be surrounded by a specific type of plant.
   
   
2. If you're using the honey for a particular purpose (such as Manuka honey for burns), you want to be sure that the honey you're buying is made from a specific, monofloral source of nectar, to maximise the potency and resulting health benefits.

This isn't to say that multifloral honey is 'bad'. Multifloral honey has its place, for everyday uses such as a natural sweetener or cooking ingredient.

But for specific health applications like what Manuka honey is used for, it's important to ensure that you're getting the real deal... that's where the UMF™ grading system comes in handy.

Learn more: What is monofloral manuka honey and why does it matter?

Look for UMF™ certified Manuka honey

If you decide to buy Manuka honey, it's important to ensure that what you're buying is the real deal with verified potency levels.

That's because honey is one of the most faked foods in the world, and Manuka is no exception to this issue.

The UMF™ grading system is run by an independent industry body (the UMFHA), which guarantees that you're getting the real deal.

When you see the UMF™ mark on a jar of Manuka honey, you can be sure that it is:

• Monofloral
• Raw
• Produced and packaged in New Zealand
• Fresh
• Not tampered with
• Independently tested
• Contains verified levels of the main active ingredient, methylglyoxal

The UMF™ number correlates with the potency of the honey. A higher UMF™ number means that it contains more mg/kg of the key active ingredient, methylglyoxal. More info here.

Our New Zealand Honey Co. Manuka honey is UMF™ certified. Shop our range here.

Where to Buy Top Quality NZ Manuka Honey

For top-quality Manuka honey, look no further than New Zealand Honey Co.

We take pride in offering nothing short of the best Manuka honey that New Zealand has to offer.

Our Manuka honey goes above and beyond the UMF™ certification standards. When you buy New Zealand Honey Co. Manuka honey, you also get a product that is:

• Traceable to the source from a verified supply chain
• Award winning
• Certified non-GMO and glyphosate residue free
• Halal and Kosher
• Stored in recyclable, BPA free containers
• Fernmark licensed

... And purely delicious!

"I have bought other brands of Manuka honey. This one is by far the best. The quality is exceptional; you can taste the difference. I highly recommend it." - Maria G., verified buyer, UMF™ 26+ | MGO 1282+

Get your Manuka honey here.

Unsure which grade is right for you? Take our free quiz here.