Beekeeping operations under COVID-19 FAQs
Last updated 18 August 2021
1. Can I still care for my beehives during Alert Level 4?
Answer: Yes. Beekeeping is deemed an essential service. Travel to care for your animals, including bees, is allowed. Managing disease and preventing starvation are vital to ensure bee welfare and survival. Hives can still be managed for this purpose.
2. What financial assistance is available?
Answer: Updates are expected, but currently the Government is saying: The Government’s Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme will be available for businesses across New Zealand when there is a regional or national move to Alert Levels 3 and 4 for a period of seven days. The Wage Subsidy Scheme allows eligible employers anywhere in the country to apply for support if they expect a loss of 40 per cent of revenue as a result of the alert level increase. Businesses will be eligible for $600 per week per full-time equivalent employee, and $359 per week per part-time employee.
3. What help is available for dealing with the stress of COVID-19?
Answer: The government has launched the ‘Getting Through Together’ campaign to share ways that New Zealanders can cope with the stress of COVID-19. Getting through together has tips and advice on how to get through and stay connected, and to support everyone’s wellbeing. It also includes tools for parents, dubbed Sparklers at Home, to talk with their primary-school-aged children about their mental health and wellbeing. See more information here. The Mental Health Foundation has additional advice for looking after your mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19 here. The resource has been developed by All Right? in partnership with the Canterbury DHB and the Mental Health Foundation.