Manawa Honey NZ

Our Origin

Kia ora! Manawa means heart. 

We’re from Ruatāhuna, also known as Te Manawa-o-te-ika-ā-Māui – the Heart of Māui's Fish which is the North Island of New Zealand. We’ve built our honey business to sustain our people with jobs and good health, and to keep bees for what they do for our place and this planet. 

Our honey business was founded by the Tuawhenua Trust, which is responsible for 9000 ha of bush-clad mountains around Ruatāhuna. These lands embrace the watershed of the headwaters of the Whakatane River, and are the homeland of the Tūhoe in this part of Te Urewera.

Manawa Honey NZ is a key part of the platform for the Tuawhenua Trust to realise our 100-year vision of “Kia tau te iwi me te whenua (People and the land in thriving harmony)”. Thus, Manawa Honey ultimately is about the development of our people and the enrichment of our forests. 

Our Range

We specialise in honeys from the trees of our indigenous forest, with a range that includes:

Rewarewa Honey with health-giving properties, now the World’s Best Tasting Honey.

Mānuka Honey with its worlds renowned medicinal properties

Kānuka Honey, Mānuka’s cousin, with its set of special properties for your good health.

Unique Tāwari Honey with its delightful hint of butterscotch 

Pua-ā-Tāne Wild Forest Honey – the bounty of the God of the Forest – as-the-bees-make-it infusion of our forest honeys

Raw Forest Honey & Lime Infusion which makes the most refreshing health-giving drink

Maunga Honey, and Maunga Honey & Cinnamon Infusion, which feature a special edition of honey from the region of Maungapohatu, the iconic mountain of Te Urewera.

PUHI Mānuka Skincare with the power of Mānuka Honey in healing balms and soaps.

Ours are award-winning honeys – in New Zealand and internationally. For taste, for quality, for health-giving properties – our honeys simply stand out. 

We’re honoured to serve discerning honey-lovers in New Zealand and across the globe. From the Heart. 

Shop online or available in most Countdowns in the North Island and some New Worlds throughout New Zealand

Our Tours

You can also join us on our tours for groups tasting our honey, learning about our bees and their hives, enjoying our river and our bush, fishing or horse-riding, and or enjoying our local foods.