Apiculture

New Zealand’s apiculture industry operates to some of the highest food safety and export standards in the world. As a Recognised Agency approved under the Animal Products Act 1999, we pride ourselves on delivering a highly personalised evaluation and verification services. 

With extensive knowledge of apiculture regulations and industry practice, we deliver efficient, reliable verification services that support your business, strengthen your reputation, and enable growth across domestic and international markets. Our verification team brings extensive honey production and auditing experience, supported by a dedicated key account manager. As a customer you can expect direct technical access to your highly skilled Approved Persons, to be viewed as an extension of your quality team.  

We work closely with beekeepers, packers, processors, and exporters to ensure compliance across the full apiculture supply chain, from extraction and processing through to finished product approval and export readiness. As a well‑connected team, we maintain strong service consistency and provide tailored support across the honey supply chain. 

Our Capabilities 

  • Risk Management Programmes (RMPs): Supporting robust food safety, traceability, and risk management 
  • National Programmes (NPs): Ensuring compliance with recognised domestic standards under the Food Act 2014. 
  • Certification of bee products for export: Meeting New Zealand legislative requirements and the expectations of overseas markets. 

Contact Us   Submit a Service Request Change RA to Hill Labs

Also need testing? 

Hill Labs brings together laboratory testing, inspection, and certification services under one organisation. This integrated model supports efficient compliance, clear communication, and reliable outcomes. 

Learn about our honey testing services

Latest Stories

Hill News August 2026 - Update from our MD, Dr Jonno Hill

As I write this, we are finishing the clean up after a complex and high-stakes piece of work which was delivered over the weekend – an upgrade to the power supply at our largest lab, located in Hamilton. This has been months in the planning, and included a full power shut down to the site, with generators used to keep essential operations running until the power was restored.
  27 Aug 2026

From the Desk of Peter Lord – CEO

It has been a busy and productive year for Hill Labs, with several important milestones that reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting customers with reliable, responsive and innovative laboratory services. One of the highlights has been the successful establishment of our raw milk testing service from June. As the dairy season builds, sample numbers are now picking up, and it is encouraging to see this new capability already supporting the sector.
  27 Aug 2026

NZIFST – Looking to the Future!

Hill Labs was pleased to attend the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (NZIFST) Conference again this year - an event that brings together a diverse group, including students, scientists, food technologists and new product developers from across the food sector.  
  27 Aug 2026

What our customers have to say

"We've always found them to be responsive in getting results back and giving advice on problems we might be facing."

Andrew Hutchinson, Technical Manager, Turners & Growers

"We strongly recommend Hill Labs as a sound testing service provider to the honey industry."

Nick Walker, Technical Manager, Egmont Honey

"Their sample registration system has made things simple and seamless - collect, scan and send!"

Mathew Bannister, Compliance Manager, First Fresh New Zealand

Accreditations

As a New Zealand accredited laboratory by International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), Hill Labs' commitment to quality is tantamount to our overall operating philosophy. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work.