A Northland family is devastated after its beehives were "intentionally destroyed", killing millions of bees.
The beehives belong to the Murray family and were the "heart and soul" of their whanau-led business, Kai Ora Honey.
Chief executive Blanche Morrogh said her brothers found the hives thrown upside down and lids removed on August 19.
The 50 beehives were behind locked gates at their property in Awanui. They "couldn't believe what they saw" and thousands of bees had drowned in water, Morrogh said. A small number of bees had survived but it wasn't known if the hives would.Each hive was home to about 50,000 or 60,000 bees, she said.
A Facebook post by Kai Ora Honey said staff put their "blood, sweat and tears" into the hives which were the "heart and soul" of their whanau-led business.
"When we come to check the health of our bees which are behind locked gates, it is devastating that their homes have been purposely destroyed with nothing but the intent to kill bees."
The post said whoever had carried out the "disgusting act" had not only harmed a species that already struggles to survive - but also harmed a small family business which was doing its best to give back to a community that struggled with "high unemployment, low incomes and very few opportunities to succeed".
Kai Ora Honey said whoever destroyed the hives had made it even harder for the staff to provide to their young families "during already difficult times".
It said $30,000 worth of property and livestock had been destroyed.
Morrogh said they were devastated that someone would do this to the bees.
She wasn't sure if it was a deliberate attack on her whanau - but she was sure it was a deliberate act to kill the bees.
Insurance would help cover some of the loss, Morrogh said, but it would be expensive to create new hives.
Senior Sergeant and area response manager for Kaitaia, Russell Richards, said police were aware of the incident.
"This matter was reported to police on Monday 19 August at around 4:30pm, the burglary is thought to have occurred sometime between Wednesday 14 August and Monday 19 August.
"The beehives were all left there damaged."
Richards said there are no CCTV cameras in the area.
"It is believed that whoever destroyed these beehives would have had knowledge around this industry," Richards said.
"We ask anyone who witnessed any suspicious behaviour in the area to contact Kaitaia Police. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Morrogh set up the business in 2013 with her siblings following their father's death in 2010.
It is guided by their father and grandmother's principles, she previously told.
"We are all about the positive impact we can have on our communities – socially, economically, environmentally and culturally."
In 2017, Morrogh said Kai Ora Honey exports 50 tonnes of mānuka honey annually to Japan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuwait.
Source - https://www.stuff.co.nz
