Despite the withdrawal of Mānuka Charitable Trust and New Zealand's Mānuka Honey Appellation Society (MHAS) from the Appeal of the UKIPO decision regarding protection of the term mānuka, the Trust has filed a replacement application.
Determined to protect the mānuka name, the Trust states that these developments are due to technical reasons.
Chair of the Trust, Pita Tipene, noted that the withdrawal would not dissuade the group from its role as "kaitiaki to protect the mana, mauri and value of our taonga species, including mānuka."
"We remain resolute in protecting our reo Māori and the precious taonga and remain determined to protect what is ours on behalf of all New Zealanders," added Tipene.
The Trust states that they have ongoing support for this mission from iwi, across the industry, the government and other organisations including MHAS, UMFHA, Apiculture New Zealand and New Zealand Beekeeping Inc.
"We know our international customers who have chosen to buy mānuka honey over the last 20 years do so because they know that it's authentic and high quality and that's what makes it so special and in demand."
Formed in 2020, the Mānuka Charitable Trust was created to act as the guardian of mānuka and other taonga.
In 2021, the UK Intellectual Property Office rejected an application made by MHAS to trade mark the phrase "mānuka honey" in the UK, allowing Australian producers to sell their honey under the mānuka name.
Mānuka honey is produced by bees that feed off the pollen of the Leptospermum scoparium plant, known as "mānuka" in New Zealand and "tea tree" in Australia.
