Our role as New Zealand Bee Health & Biosecurity
New Zealand beekeepers
We’re here for
With a dedicated team spread across Aotearoa, NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity is a not-for-profit organisation funded exclusively by beekeeper levies that supports NZ beekeepers in their fight against AFB.
Our team works closely with all New Zealand beekeepers to provide education for the effective management of AFB and securely collects data via HiveHub (our national apiary database) which is used to track and manage the disease nationwide.
We support NZ beekeepers to meet their legal obligations under the American Foulbrood National Pest Management Plan (AFB NPMP) and we are required to take action and prevent the spread of AFB. This protects beekeeping operations and neighbouring colonies from the financial impacts of AFB spread and safeguards the sector’s export markets.
Together, we can eliminate AFB from managed colonies and enter a future where effective AFB elimination is part of the standard operating procedures for every beekeeping operation. Our team, many of whom are beekeepers themselves, are proud to support the NZ beekeeping community in achieving this goal.
Enforcing
AFB NPMP
Beekeepers have several legal obligations that must be met under the Biosecurity (National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan) Order 1998. The AFB NPMP grants powers to NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity to enforce compliance with these legal obligations, in the interest of all beekeeping operations and the health of the beekeeping sector.
DATA_CHECK
Learn more about how we do this EAST
Our
team
Meet the dedicated team supporting New Zealand beekeepers in their fight against AFB.
2025 Board members
Chair
Mark Dingle - June 2026 (2nd term ends)
Deputy Chair
Val Graham - June 2026 (2nd term ends)
-
Mark is the Principal Consultant of Evaluate! He has completed a variety of public sector project and programme management roles in the social housing, transport, health, and education sectors, in New Zealand and internationally. He has extensive experience implementing strategic change and investment programmes that rely on robust analyses and risk assessments, from which to make sound decisions.
Mark is a keen hobbyist Beekeeper and a member of the local Christchurch Beekeepers club.
-
Val is a marketing consultant specializing in customer experience, customer measurement and data-driven strategy. Prior to that, she was in financial services marketing in the private sector, both in the UK and NZ, for over 20 years, and was a university lecturer in marketing for undergraduate degree and masters level. She has been on the Board of North Harbour Rugby Union since 2014 and a judge in the NZ Export Awards since 2015.
A keen hobbyist beekeeper, she is looking to promote sustainable and healthier honey bee populations.
Lubomir Dudek - June 2027 (1st term ends)
Jane Röllin - July 2025 (1st term ends)
-
Lubo is an accomplished leader and manager with over two decades of national and international experience in apiculture, primarily at the commercial level. He recently transitioned from his role as the General Manager of a large beekeeping company to focus on international sales, marketing, and business development. Lubo brings his management and organisational skills to the Board, as well as strategic and innovative thinking blended with a longstanding passion for bees and apiculture.
-
Jane is an experienced strategic organisational resilience expert with a focus on building strong relationships and connections. She has over 25 years’ experience managing complex issues encouraging strategic thinking and planning, building capability, and spotting opportunities to ‘join the dots’ and make things simpler. Jane has a breadth of governance experience, and is currently the Chair of the Board of RiskNZ.
Beekeeping came much later in life – Jane is currently an Auckland based hobby beekeeper, but in the process of setting up a hazelnut orchard in Taupō.
Trent Proffit - July 2026 (1st term ends)
Murray Elwood - October 2026 (1st term ends)
-
Trent is currently General Manager of one of the country’s largest Iwi owned commercial honey businesses. Having spent over a decade focused on operational management across Primary Industry, he made the transition to commercial beekeeping 6 years ago and hasn’t looked back.
Throughout this period, he has worked from the hive to market in a number of beekeeping businesses. Being based on the East Coast, he is passionate about the regions and the opportunity sustainable beekeeping provides.
-
Murray joined the AFB PMP Board in December 2023. Murray Elwood has been a commercial beekeeper for the past 32 years. Murray and Nicky (his wife) run a beekeeping partnership with 2,500 hives.
Murray has experience in many aspects of running a honey business, from hive management and bee health, to extracting, packing, processing, and exporting the partnership’s honey products. Murray is passionate about beekeeping and believes in our industry and the wonderful products that are produced in New Zealand.
Advisor to Board
Hayley Pragert
MPI Observer
John Sanson
-
Hayley is an advisor, working for the Ministry for Primary Industries in bee biosecurity, and previously for the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.
Hayley is currently involved in bee research and preparedness programmes, specifically, the Bee Pathogen Programme and the ApiWellbeing project.
-
Description text goes here
NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity Team
-
Niha has worked for the past 10 years in various roles in the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), most recently in the Response Group in Biosecurity New Zealand where she led and managed post-border biosecurity responses to complex pests and pathogens, in partnership with mana whenua, Industry and non-Industry partners.
Niha is passionate about driving a system and education change for eliminating AFB in New Zealand; through her understanding of complex biosecurity issues and collaborating with the sector.
Email: niharika.long@nzbb.org.nz
-
Marco is an AP1 responsible for managing the National AFB surveillance and inspection function including the supervision of AP2s.
Marco has a strong background of AFB management and biosecurity, working as an Apiary Officer with AsureQuality from 2006 to 2017, and as a Compliance Manager at Midlands Apiaries Ltd.Phone: 0800 232 767 ext 302
DDI: 03 926 3240
Mobile: 022 0169 669
Email: marco.gonzalez@nzbb.org.nz
Northern Operations Manager
Dwayne Hill
Finance & AFB Training Coordinator
Janette Gwilliam
-
Dwayne started bee keeping in 1999 and has a passion for bee health. He has managed AFB across different parts of the country and in varying apiary sizes with great elimination success. When he's not helping with AFB elimination you can find him enjoying the outdoors with his large family.
Phone: 0800 232 767 ext 305
DDI: 06 928 4137
Mobile: 027 7660 145
Email: dwayne.hill@nzbb.org.nz
-
Janette is responsible for the coordination of the AFB Recognition Courses held throughout the country, as well as processing the annual AFB levies and paying the monthly accounts. Janette works remotely from her home in Queenstown and loves trail running and climbing mountains.
Phone: 0800 232 767 ext 301
DDI: 04 909 0029
Email: training@nzbb.org.nz
Apiary Coordinator
Tracey Gonzalez
Casual Apiary Coordinator
Leonie Elliot-Mason
-
Tracey is an Apiary Coordinator who has been in this role for many years and enjoys helping beekeepers achieve their compliance goals. Tracey wants beekeepers to reach out if they need help. If she doesn’t know the answer, she will point you in the right direction. Tracey is a mother of 3 girls and enjoys going to the gym and spending time with her family.
Phone: 0800 232 767 ext 303
DDI: 03 974 2019
Email: tracey.gonzalez@nzbb.org.nz
-
Leonie worked as an Apiary Coordinator full time for 4 years and now works in a casual capacity to help out at peak reporting times.
Prior to joining the AFB team, Leonie spent 30 years working in the airline industry specializing in scheduling and rostering the pilot on ATR fleet for their training. She has since returned to this specialist field, working from her home in Darfield for an Australian based company. She enjoys the flexibility to be able to help out the Apiary Coordinators at times where their workload truly escalates to exceed their capacity (such as during ADRs, COI's).
Apiary Coordinator
Paula Michelle Rich
-
Paula joined the Management Agency in 2024 with an extensive background in legal and medical administration. Paula has a strong interest in accurate data management and clear communication and endeavours to help beekeepers understand their responsibilities and the legal processes they need to follow to help keep AFB in check. Outside work Paula loves to spend time in nature or relax with music or a good book.
Phone: 0800 232 767 ext 308
DDI: 03 930 1162
Email: paula.rich@nzbb.org.nz
Southern Operations Manager
Marco Gonzalez
Chief Executive
Niharika (Niha) Long
+ 47 Dedicated AP2s across the North Island and South Island.
+ 17 AFB Recognition Course Trainers across the North Island and South Island.
Our
administration
Join
our team
-
The New Zealand Bee and Biosecurity Trust (NZBB) is looking to recruit two commercial beekeeping members to sit on their Board. While the Trust is a newly formed organisation, our core structure has been in place since 2017, as the former AFB Management Agency. Although our legal structure has changed - our core mission and work remain the same. Our dedicated Trustees and hard-working team are passionately committed to the elimination of American Foulbrood (AFB) and the effective implementation of the American Foulbrood National Pest Management Plan (AFB NPMP).
NZBB wants to ensure the interests of our commercial beekeepers, along with the interests of all size operations, are reflected in the make-up of our Board of Trustees.
We’re recruiting for two registered commercial beekeepers, who currently manage 250 colonies or more. These positions are best suited to experienced beekeepers, with an excellent history of compliance with the AFB NPMP, and who can champion the elimination of AFB. Ideally, they will bring strong skills in governance, strategic thinking, financial management, beekeeping production systems, and relationship management.
About us
NZBB’s key role is to implement the American Foulbrood National Pest Management Plan (AFB NPMP), attain a year-on-year reduction in the national incidence of AFB, and eliminate AFB from managed honeybee colonies in New Zealand. AFB is a contagious and lethal disease and a major threat to New Zealand’s beekeeping industry. Our dedicated Trustees and small hard-working team are committed to support New Zealand beekeepers in their challenge to combat AFB.
About you
The ideal appointee will be a champion for AFB elimination and will have:
significant experience in the beekeeping industry on a commercial level (>250 colonies)
history of full compliance with the AFB NPMP, and a positive reputation for best practice beekeeping
strong financial, accounting, or legal skills
strong relationship skills and the ability to engage positively with other board members
proven governance experience and a clear understanding of governance policy and processes
successful experience designing and running large-scale beekeeping production systems where effective AFB elimination is a natural outcome
strong strategic thinking and the ability to contribute to operational solutions
willingness to champion change in a fast-moving and dynamic industry.
The successful applicant will need to commit to attending all Board meetings, that being three full day meetings and up to six shorter meetings a year. Most meetings are held by video conference, and two of the full day meetings are in person and take place in Wellington. Travel and accommodation costs are covered by the NZBB.
Board members serve a three-year term and are eligible for reappointment for an additional term, at the absolute discretion of the Board. A modest honorarium is paid in recognition of Board member responsibility, time, and service to the NZBB.
Recruitment process
The closing date for applications is 5pm, Tuesday 12 August 2025.
Applicants are required to submit a curriculum vitae, cover letter, and names of three references by emailing info@nzbb.org.nz or posting it to PO Box 88, Rolleston 7643.
The NZBB Board will contract an independent recruitment consultant as part of the appointment process who will screen all applicants before making an interim recommendation for consideration by the Board.
This will be followed by interviews from the week of 18 August 2025 onwards.
-
Inspector (AP2) Contracts Available
Do you have experience recognising American foulbrood (AFB) in the field?
Do you have a history of compliance with National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan (NPMP) rules?
Have you held a DECA for at least 2 years?
Do you want to help fellow beekeepers to eliminate AFB?
If you answered ‘yes’ to all three questions and you’d like to be part of the professional team that monitors compliance with NPMP rules and assists the Management Agency with enforcement actions in your region, this could be your opportunity to contribute to AFB elimination in New Zealand.
The Management Agency is seeking to contract additional Inspectors (AP2s) available to work a minimum of 12 full days per year.
We are recruiting nationwide however priority will be given to applications from:
Far North
Dargaville
South Taranaki
Waikato
Manawatu
Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate both their knowledge and experience of AFB inspection and elimination, and their ability to work with beekeepers to improve their AFB control practices.
Successful applicants will also be required to meet the Ministry for Primary Industries’ criteria for issuing Authorised Person warrants prior to appointment. This includes a criminal conviction check by the New Zealand Police.
A copy of the role description can be found here.
Application instructions can be found here.
Frequently asked questions can be found here.
Completed applications should be submitted to info@afb.org.nz