AFB Levy

funded by beekeepers, for beekeepers

A pest management plan 

American foulbrood (AFB) is the most serious disease affecting honey bees in New Zealand. AFB infects honey bee larvae causing the larvae to die. Each infected larvae produces 2.5 billion spores. These in turn infect other honey bee larvae until the hive collapses and dies. Unlike most other countries, New Zealand beekeepers do not use antibiotics to control AFB (the use of drugs to control AFB is illegal under New Zealand law). There is no cure for AFB. Spores from infected colonies are very resistant and can survive for over 35 years.  

In 1997, New Zealand’s beekeepers agreed to regulations in the form of the National American Foulbrood Pest Management Plan (AFB NPMP) to ensure that all beekeepers have legal obligations to control AFB. Monitoring and auditing beekeeper compliance with these regulations is funded through a compulsory levy set as per the Biosecurity (American Foulbrood - Beekeeper Levy) Order 2003.

Having an NPMP has successfully prevented the reported incidence levels of AFB from increasing to the devastatingly high levels of the late 1980s – early 1990s.

Why it matters

The New Zealand apiculture sector is worth over $500 million. This is comprised of domestic honey, export honey, and pollination services.

AFB infected hives fail to grow to the strength required to produce a commercial crop of honey or effective pollination services. The downstream effects include hive losses, reduced honey sales, market access issues to certain overseas markets, pollination, and income loss. 

To support our beekeeping sector, New Zealand needs healthy honeybee colonies that are not affected by AFB.

American Foulbrood (AFB)

2026/27 Levy Consultation

Supporting beekeepers with AFB elimination and seeking your input on the AFB levy for 2026/27.

New Zealand Bee Health & Biosecurity (NZBB), formerly The AFB Management Agency, is undertaking consultation with Aotearoa New Zealand beekeepers on a proposal for the American Foulbrood Beekeeper Levy for 2026/27 to remain the same at $40 per beekeeper and $1.95 per colony.

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Timeline of the
AFB NPMP Review

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Start your levy consultation submission

Surveymonkey east

  • American Foulbrood (AFB) is the most serious disease affecting honey bees in Aotearoa. The disease is present in almost all countries where honey bees are found. AFB was recorded in New Zealand in 1877 and is a biosecurity threat, despite being subject to legislative control in New Zealand since 1906 and a national pest management plan (AFB NPMP) since 1998. All NZ beekeepers have legal obligations under the AFB NPMP and are responsible for the elimination of AFB from their beekeeping operations.

  • The administration and implementation of the AFB NPMP is funded solely through the Biosecurity (American Foulbrood - Beekeeper Levy) Order 2003 which is payable by New Zealand beekeepers, prior to the start of the new levy year (1 June). NZBB does not receive any other funding to administer the AFB NPMP.

  • After a three-year review, the new AFB NPMP is set to be approved by the Minister for Biosecurity and Cabinet and implemented from April 2026 onward.

  • Industry engagement forums over recent months have confirmed a need for greater focus on bee health and biosecurity. NZBB is well-placed to map out and facilitate biosecurity preparedness, subject to support from beekeepers. This would include a separate funding mechanism and approval from the Minister for Biosecurity.

    NZBB’s current mandate and levy funds are restricted to AFB elimination. In addition to the proposed 2026/27 levy rate and budget, NZBB has included three supplementary questions within this 2026/27 levy consultation round to sense-check the industry’s appetite for biosecurity preparedness.

    CLICK HERE to find out more about bee biosecurity and preparedness.

    This is the first of several rounds of consultation with the sector on the merits of gradually expanding NZBB’s scope to general honey bee health and disease management. Please take the time to respond to the three additional questions in an open manner. Your feedback is important in determining NZBB’s next steps.

  • Between June 2024 and May 2025, beekeeper numbers and colony numbers fell 8.4% and 6.6%, respectively.

    In setting the proposed 2026/27 levy, NZBB has taken the following into consideration.

    • The forecast decline in the number of registered beekeepers and colonies over the next 12 months.

    • The current challenging economic climate.

    • The resulting financial hardship experienced by many beekeepers.

    • NZBB’s key focus areas to support the industry in the implementation of the new AFB NPMP.

  • NZBB is seeking beekeepers’ views on:

    • its proposal that the levy for the 2026/27 levy year remain the same at $40 ($46 including GST) per beekeeper and $1.95 ($2.24 including GST) per bee colony , and

    • the potential extension of NZBB’s mandate to bee biosecurity and exotic bee pests & disease incursion preparedness.

    Consultation open date 08 September 2025.

    Consultation closing date 5pm Sunday 12 October 2025.

    All New Zealand Beekeepers will receive the levy proposal and submission questions via email (or post if they do not have an email address) from 08 September 2025 and can share their views by either:

    Completing the online submission form HERE, or

    • posting a completed submission form to

    • NZ Bee Health & Biosecurity PO Box 88 Rolleston 7643.

    We’re here to help. Please email us at info@nzbb.org.nz

    Download the Levy consultation booklet

    Download the proposed 2026/27 budget

    Download the Bee Biosecurity & Preparedness Document

    Our audited accounts for 2024/25

    The NZBB Board of Trustees will consider all feedback and notify beekeepers of the outcome in November 2025.

The 2025/26

levy

Pursuant to clause 12 of the Biosecurity (American Foulbrood – Beekeeper Levy) Order 2003, notice is hereby given that for the 2025/26 levy year, the rates of the beekeeper and colony levies (exclusive of GST) and the basis of calculation will be: 

$40 per beekeeper for the base levy

$1.95 per colony owned by the beekeeper as of 31 March 2025.

We would like to thank beekeepers for their feedback on the proposed levy rate and budget for 2025/26. Of the 8,188 beekeepers invited to submit their views about the levy consultation, 93 responded with submissions via SurveyMonkey, post, or email.

We are grateful to beekeepers for their commitment to eliminating AFB. We take the responsibility of administering beekeeper levy funds very seriously and, as a result, every decision around expense is carefully considered. We will continue to constantly review our operational expenditure to ensure that we are delivering an efficient and cost-effective service to beekeepers.

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The levy order 2003

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Levy Consultation

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What does the

levy fund?

Extension research and communications

  • Suspect AFB laboratory tests

  • AFB website

  • Beekeeper Communication

  • AFB elimination communications and collateral

Apiary register

  • Ongoing investment into HiveHub

  • Beekeeper registration / deregistration

  • Apiary registration / deregistration

  • Annual Disease Returns

  • Certificate of Inspections

  • Processing DECA applications

  • Supporting beekeepers with compliance and obligations

Monitoring and audit

  • Apiary Inspections

  • Surveillance of AFB hotspot

Compliance and enforcement

  • Unregistered apiaries

  • Abandoned apiaries

  • COI default inspections

  • Follow up of non-compliance

  • Monitoring high-risk beekeepers

Governance management and administration

  • Audits

  • Bank fees

  • Legal fees

  • Insurance

  • Office expenses

  • Board expenses

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Frequently asked questions

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AFB levy

payments

You can make your AFB PMP levy payment via the following:

Via HiveHub

Your invoice can be paid via credit card using the “pay now” button on the invoice page in HiveHub. 

Direct to our bank account

Apiculture New Zealand Inc
ANZ Bank
06 0317 0615820 02 (or 002) 

You must use your beekeeper number as the reference. 

Any queries relating to your levies, please direct to levies@nzbb.org.nz or phone 0800 232 767.

Levy invoices generated as of 31 March are due for payment
by 1 June each year. 

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Levy process flow chart east

AFB levy

FAQs

  • Click here for information on what the levy fund provides beekeepers. 

  • The rate of levy is $40 ($46 including GST) per beekeeper and $1.95 ($2.24 including GST) per bee colony owned by each beekeeper as of 31 March. 

  • A bee colony is an active/living group of bees. Usually, but not always, containing a Queen and worker honey bees.  A bee colony includes nucleus hives as well as active/living bee hives. 

  • Beekeepers that did not have a live honey bee colony on 31 March but still have a registered apiary (i.e. they are a registered beekeeper) are required to pay the $40 base levy. Apiary sites must be registered if they have one or more beehives located on them irrespective of whether those beehives are alive or dead. 

    Beekeepers without any live beehives who wish to cancel their beekeeper registration must remove any deadout beehives from the apiary site and place them into storage before deregistering the apiary. If you wish to cancel your beekeeper registration deregister via HiveHub or click here to complete a deregistration form.

    Your levies will be cleared once this cancellation form has been processed. 

  • Login to HiveHub, 

    1. Check that the number of honey bee colonies recorded on each apiary is correct and make corrections as required, then 

    2. submit your Colony Return via HiveHub, then 

    3. send an email to levies@nzbb.org.nz advising that you require a revised invoice as per the updated Colony Return submitted. An amended invoice will be sent to you once the Colony Return has been processed. 

  • A Colony Return is a statutory return required for levy collection purposes. 

    All beekeepers are legally required to declare the number of bee colonies they own on 31 March each year.