2021 Lukluk (VSA) - Magazine - Page 8
“There’s a strong
connection between
bees and climate
change resilience”
Tina Mackie, Uili Lousi, Steve Goodman
during Uili’s visit to Wellington
Lopeti says he got involved in
OHAI because he has seen Tonga’s
bee population decline. “I’ve found
out while working with the bees
for 32 years - once I could easily
see bees as I drove along the road
and looked on the fields, now it is
very difficult to find them.”
With Lopeti onboard OHAI went
to VSA for support. That came
in the form of beekeeper David
Cramp who arrived in Tonga in
2020 to help set up the hives and
then on his return to New Zealand
he worked remotely, Zooming in
online from his home in Wellington.
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David and the team have trained
30 Tongan beekeepers. It’s a win/
win for beekeepers who are often
also farmers - they are ensuring
the future of their crops and
developing new products from
honey and wax.
Hives are now starting to be set
up at other locations in Tonga to
allow beekeepers to manage them
independently. The front cover
features Ayana who is part of the
family and was first to set up hives
on their farm.
Things are going so well
that there are now enough trained
beekeepers to start BATI - the
Beekeepers Association of
Tonga, and graduates of the
course are building and populating
their own hives.
For Debra, Uili, and Lopeti the
role of bees as pollinators is the