Beekeeping Advisor and Trainer

Kia ora, Malo e lelei and warm Pacific greetings
  
Te Whāinga | Our Purpose is

Te Hono Tangata - Te Huringa Ora. 

Ka hono a Te Tūao Tāwāhi i ngā tūao pūkenga ki ngā whakahaere me ngā hapori i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me tua atu, hei tautoko i ngā wawata kua tautuhia ā-rohe, ā, kia tutuki ai te panoni toitū. 

Connecting People – Transforming Lives. 

Volunteer Service Abroad connects skilled volunteers with organisations and communities in the Pacific and beyond to support locally identified aspirations and achieve sustainable change.  

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About the role

This is your opportunity to become a VSA Volunteer to share your experience, skills and knowledge to serve and build capacity in Tonga. Work alongside our local partner organisation to plan and create a brighter future for all.
  
We are looking for an experienced Beekeeping Advisor and Traineror someone with the right level of transferrable skills, who understands and shares the spirit of volunteering, with a keen interest in building capability in the Pacific (while embracing a new cultural experience).

The length of this assignment in Tonga will be 12 months, with 3-6 months in-country at the start of the assignment.

VSA will support you by funding and organising your flights, visas, insurances, accommodation, living allowance and utilities while you are on assignment.
  
Ngā tino Pūkenga/Wheako – Essential skills/experiences for the role
If you are interested in this opportunity, below are some of the key skills and experiences that we’re looking for.

• Extensive experience as a beekeeper - preferably commercial experience
• Hold a New Zealand DECA (Disease Elimination Conformity Agreement) qualification
• Extensive knowledge of bee diseases, especially AFB, and Varroa destructor and associated viruses
• Experience constructing, establishing, and maintaining healthy colonies in beehives
• Experience extracting honey and other bee products and marketing them
• Experience in developing, documenting and writing guidelines for beekeeping
• Knowledge of biosecurity guidelines for apiculture
• Experience with developing and carrying out training programmes for beekeeping with relevant stakeholders
• A strong background in science

Important note: Due to our VSA funding requirements, our volunteers must be a NZ citizen or NZ Permanent Resident to progress further in our recruitment process.
  
Our Partner Organisation – Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests

The Assignment – Beekeeping Advisor and Trainer
This assignment is a partnership assignment between VSA and MAFF.  

The beekeeping sector in Tonga is relatively new and still developing, having faced significant setbacks since the arrival of the predatory mite Varroa destructor in 2006. Recent progress includes the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MAFF) assuming leadership of the sector in 2025, the development and implementation of “Beekeeping Standards for the Kingdom of Tonga”, and the
formation of the Tongan Beekeepers’ Association.

Tongan honeybees are uniquely resistant to the varroa mite, and the mechanism of resistance has significant implications for Tongan beekeepers with practices being significantly different to beekeeping elsewhere in the world. It is essential that new management techniques are continuously developed, without the use of drug treatments for varroa. Beekeeping in Tonga is at a critical juncture in its development, and this assignment will see an
experienced beekeeper who is keen to learn about the unique Tongan bee environment, learn from the current volunteer and take the project forward.
  
The Country – Tonga
The Kingdom of Tonga consists of 176 islands in four major groups, Tongatapu Island group, Ha’apai Island group, Vava’u Island group, and the Niu Island group. These islands form a narrow archipelago extending north from the Tropic of Capricorn.

There are many natural wonders in Tonga, and it is also one of the only places in the world where you can swim with humpback whales.

Me pēhea te tuku tono| **How to apply:**Please apply for this opportunity through our website. For more information or if you have any questions on this assignment, you are welcome to Kiri Henare at: [email protected]. Noting that due to our VSA funding requirements, our volunteers must be a NZ citizen or NZ Permanent Resident to progress further in our recruitment process.