Nestled in the rich volcanic soils of the Central Plateau, Rachel Stebbing’s hives wake with the dawn when her bees fly out to gather nectar that will become some of Aotearoa’s most sought-after organic mānuka honey.
Rachel, 55, is the driving force behind Waitahanui Apiaries, a small but determined all-women honey business, just south of Taupō, and run largely from her dining-room table.
“Running this business with friends and family keeps me grounded,” Rachel says.
“When I have purpose and discipline, life feels good, and I’m genuinely happy with this life we have built.”
Of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki descent, Rachel is from a hardworking rural family.
“My parents were contract shearers and fencers, and when I was five, we moved from the East Coast to Taupō,” Rachel shares.
“Back then, if workers didn’t turn up for the shearing, from a very young age, my older sister and I would work in the sheds.”
Growing up on the land
Those early years not only taught Rachel the value of hard work, but also fostered a powerful appreciation for the natural world.
“Living rurally, we always had huge vegetable gardens and we kept bees,” she recalls.
“Food came from the land around us.”
Family gardens and timeless traditions
Today, Rachel lives with her husband John and her father Sam Donaldson, and the family garden still thrives. Although Rachel laughs that the patch technically belongs to her dad who, at 84, still takes great pride in it.
“Until recently, no one was allowed near Dad’s garden, but he’s had a few health issues lately, so he’s teaching me when to plant the silverbeet and beetroot.”
From teenage rebel to devoted mum
Rachel didn’t always see herself following her parents’ path.
“As a teenager, I was a bit of a rebel,” she admits.
But after she welcomed the first of her three daughters at just 18, she grew up fast. Today, she is mum to Charliee, 36, Brooke, 32, and Johnieelee, 28, and a proud grandmother of two. As for her beekeeping journey, that didn’t start till 2015 when her good friend Donna Tāwhai asked her to keep a couple of hives on the Stebbing whānau’s property.
A spark of curiosity
“When Donna came out to work on the hives, she’d always bring a spare bee suit for me,” says Rachel, who features in this week’s episode of Hyundai Country Calendar.
“At the time, mānuka honey prices were booming, and I said, ‘Girl, we need to bee-keep full-time.’”
Her curiosity quickly turned into a passion.
Turning passion into practice
“Beekeeping is quite simple if you respect the process,” says Rachel, who loves how her work blends science, nature and patience.
“Like farming animals, you make sure your bees are fed, especially through winter. You keep them healthy and in dry locations, and you treat them for varroa mite [a parasite that attacks and feeds on honey bees] throughout the year. “In early summer, the bees are flown by helicopter to remote blocks of pristine land high in the Kaimanawa Ranges, where thousands of hectares of mānuka bloom each year.”
Rachel’s immensely proud of her apiary’s organic certification, but does admit the honey industry isn’t always easy. From Covid disruptions to changing climate patterns, producers have faced significant challenges, and for a time, business was scaled back.
The impact of changing seasons
“Summer seasons are changing,” Rachel explains.
“That affects when flowers bloom and how much nectar bees can collect. One season, we might sell honey for $41 per kilogram, then the next, it can drop to $10.”
When she’s not busy with the bees, you’ll often find Rachel in the kitchen.
“Alongside tending the hives and growing vegetables, I also bake rēwena bread [traditional Māori sourdough] from my Stebbing whānau’s 100-year-old fermentation starter.”
Exploring honey’s healing power
Rachel and her team have branched out and are now researching a broad range of uses for honey to harness its healing properties.
“We’re making therapeutic bandages for horses, as well as working with cellular biologist Dr Iona. She is making creams from pollen for women in menopause and I swear by her products,” enthuses Rachel, who is passionate about supporting and collaborating with other women-led businesses.
By sharing a window into her rural world, she hopes others will be encouraged to appreciate honey and all that goes into producing it more deeply.
A story in every jar
“I love that honey has been around since the beginning of time – this natural but complex food that never spoils,” Rachel reflects.
“And every jar we produce tells a story, of bees, land and people working together.”
Watch Hyundai Country Calendar, Sundays, 7pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+.
