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"If you think nature is important, you're amongst friends. Like us, you're someone who values what nature can teach and provide. And when it comes to nature there's a lot to value. It's like a continous marvellous voyage of discovery. The more we understand about nature, the better we're able to value it." Alan Bougen, Comvita Director
We love New Zealand! - and if you have visited, you will understand why. It is a remarkable place to produce natural health products and our livelihood depends on nature remaining just the way it is. Comvita is committed to acting in a manner that helps preserve and helps improve the quality of life and environment for generations to come. Sustainable Business Challenge Comvita's commitment to sustainable business paractices was again recognised as Finalist in the Kauri (large business) category in the Environment Bay of Plenty 2005 Sustainable Business Challenge. The awards programme assess and recognises sustainable business performance under economic, social and environmental criteria. Participating businesses receive concise judging feedback in a report that highlights key opportunities to improve performance.  Birds, Bees, Kids and Trees Comvita is partnered with it's local City Council, Tauranga, in the community environmental education programme "Birds, Bees, kids and Trees". Part of which aims to develop the nearby Kopurererua Valley by way of native tree donation and funding. Comvita holds planting days for Comvita staff, their families and friends, giving participants a native tree to take and plant at home. Project GreenFleet Comvita is a member of GreenFleet, launched in 2005, a four-year sustainable transport project encouraging Bay of Plenty businesses to become more transport efficient through improved travel planning and better driving techniques. The initiative will also see 20,000 trees planted locally to offset business vehicle emissions.  Green Globe 21
Green Globe 21 is the global benchmarking, certification and improvement system assisting the international travel and tourism industry to develop sustainable business practices, responding directly to the major environmental problems facing the planet.
The Comvita Visitor Centre has spent considerable time benchmarking its energy and water consumption, waste production and disposal as well as implementing an integrated environmental and social policy. In November 2005, Comvita Visitor Centre achieved Green Globe 21 Benchmark Status. Comvita is now working toward extending the Green Globe 21 benchmarking to include its administrative department, and is researching options for its manufacturing plant. These measures will deliver ongoing reduction of non-renewable resources, achieve extensive cost savings and secure a sustainable commerical future for the business.
Otanewainuku Kiwi Trust Comvita’s local forest is the Otanewainuku Forest. In Maori legend Otanewainuku is a chiefly mountain, powerful and proud. The mountain and adjacent reserve are covered in virgin native forest. Credit goes to the early settlers, who set aside this area as a reserve, ensuring that it has never been logged, despite pressure. Local people have continued to lobby for protection of this DoC (Department of Conservation) managed forest also. Comvita continues its support of the Kiwi recovery programme by providing financial assistance for marketing and promotional acitivity. 2005 donations funded a new website, educational signage and printing brochures for the trust. GM Free Comvita products are GM-certified and do not contains any ingredients from plants or animals modified by gene technology ("genetic modificatio" or GM). Comvita provides support towards extending the moratorium on GM in agriculture in New Zealand. Comvita continues to develop and maintain positive productive and sustainable contributions to our local community...  Top School
The annual Comvita Top School event is a major fundraising event for the local Paengaroa School. 18 teams from local Primary and Intermediate schools compete in a range of sporting events. The proceeds contributed to a junior school playground, sandpit, refurbishing the school's pool filtration system and erecting sun-shading for the children.
Newspapers in Education
Comvita is a Gold Sponsor of Newspapers in Education (NiE), a co-operative effort between the Bay of Plenty Times newspaper and local businesses. The partners work together to provide free newspapers and educational resources for student and teacher use.
 Comvita Scholarship For East Cape Beekeeper Comvita provides a beekeeper scholarship as part of its commitment to helping develop sound, sustainable beekeeping businesses in New Zealand's East Cape region. Peter Te Kani from Potaka, Cape Runaway, has completed his scholarship with Bay of Plenty beekeepers and is now taking a leading hand in the business.
This is just one of the East Cape projects initiated by Comvita with the aim of establishing a sustainable supply of manuka honey. Other initiatives include an agreement with the local Maori tribe Ngati Porou iwi to foster a beekeeping industry around Waipiro Bay and produce manuka honey on otherwise unproductive land.  Sport Sponsorships There is great synergy between Comvita's product range and the nutritional requirements of top athletes. Comvita proudly supports via product and financial assistance: New Zealand champion mountain biker - Sonia Foote; New Zealand Women's volleyball champions - Susan Blundell and Rebecca Reidy; New Zealand cyclist - Julian Dean and New Zealand running champion - Melissa Moon.
Comvita Environmental & Social Policy
Introduction: Comvita is committed to acting in a manner that preserves and helps improve the quality of life and environment for generations to come.
Goals:
Sustainability: To have strategies in place to measure, improve and report not only on economic, but also on its environmental and social initiatives and outcomes.
Environmental Standards: To meet or exceed all local body and national environmental standards.
Genetic Modification: Comvita is opposed to the genetic modification of food. The company has taken this position because it holds core values regarding the power of natural products to enhance human health, and because it believes the well-being of our environment is inextricably linked to the preservation of human health. Comvita believes that serious questions remain about the safety of GM food products, and argues that the public has a right to know whether it is products for consumption contain genetically modified organisms (GMO's).
Health and Safety: To meet or exceed all Health and Safety Standards.
Raw Material supply: Where economically sensible to do so Comvita will source from its supplier’s ingredients and materials that have a lower environmental impact. If there is a choice between suppliers, part of Comvita’s evaluation process will be its supplier’s commitment to sustainability.
Environmental impact: To analyse Comvita’s environmental impacts and to minimise these so we can reduce Comvita’s load on the environment and assist with lowering costs, and improving Comvita’s efficiency
Commitment to improvement:
To set and meet objectives every year to improve Comvita’s environmental and social impact.
As Comvita is continuing to grow internationally, we recognise our 'community' is growing with us. Comvita supports humanitarian aid projects in India and in Vietnam, primarily through the donation of our Woundcare/Manukacare 18+ product... Vietnam For the past 10 years, the Sunrise Rotary Club of Tauranga has been supporting Leprosy sufferers in Vietnam. During the most recent visit to Ben San Leprosy Centre, local Rotary club member and registered nurse Sally Morrison, delivered 8,000 tubes of Woundcare 18+ donated by Comvita. The product has been reported to produce visiblbe results, overnight in some cases, and has replaced traditional wound dressings. "I was totally blown away with the results. These people's immune systems are very weak from leprosy, malnutrition and constant infection, yet overnight the Woundcare 18+ began to heal the most awful of wounds. It was a very humbling experience. I still get goosebumps just thinking about how much the Woundcare 18+ has the ability to change their lives." Sally Morrison, Registered Nurse Comvita will continue to support the Tauranga Sunrise Rotary Clib and Ben San Leprosy Centre via donations of Woundcare 18+.
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