Manuka Honey Day: When It Is and How to Celebrate

The short answer

Manuka Honey Day falls on the first Monday of November every year. The UMF Honey Association started it to mark the start of New Zealand's Manuka honey season, when bees begin visiting the flowering Manuka bush. Celebrate with a spoonful at breakfast, a warm honey drink or a certified jar to give as a gift.

Manuka Honey Day is the one day of the year set aside for New Zealand's most famous honey. Its official name is World Mānuka Honey Day, and you'll also see it called New Zealand Mānuka Honey Day. Here's when it falls, why it sits in early November, who started it, and a few simple ways to celebrate with a jar of your own.

Every jar we sell is New Zealand Manuka honey from Egmont Honey, Manuka Health and Comvita, so there's something here for every way of enjoying it, from a daily spoonful to a gift.

When Is Manuka Honey Day?

Manuka Honey Day is held on the first Monday of November, every year. As Manuka Health puts it, the day is celebrated annually on the first Monday in November. Because it follows a weekday rule rather than a fixed date, it moves between 1 and 7 November.

Here are the next few dates for your calendar:

The UMF Honey Association confirms each year's date on its official World Mānuka Honey Day page.

Why the First Monday of November?

The date follows the bees. Early November is when the Manuka honey season begins in New Zealand, and the UMF Honey Association says the day kicks off the Manuka honey production season.

The Manuka bush flowers for just a few weeks a year, and not everywhere at once. Flowering starts in the subtropical north, where bees visit the Manuka blossoms first, and reaches the cooler south later, so the season carries on into March. Manuka Honey Day lands right at the start of it, as the first nectar begins to flow.

For honey lovers in the northern hemisphere, the timing has a bonus: it arrives just as the weather turns cold, which is when many people reach for a jar to stir into a warm drink.

Who Started Manuka Honey Day and Why

Manuka Honey Day was established by the UMF Honey Association (UMFHA), the New Zealand body behind the UMF™ quality mark. The association was founded by New Zealand beekeepers who wanted a standard way to certify genuine Manuka honey, and it still runs the UMF grading system you'll see on many of our jars.

The first World Mānuka Honey Day was held in 2023: the UMFHA described the 2024 event as the second annual World Mānuka Honey Day.

The idea behind it is simple. Manuka honey is enjoyed in more than 60 countries, and the day is a chance to celebrate it while helping people learn how to recognise the genuine article through UMF™ certification.

Where Manuka Honey Comes From

Manuka honey comes only from New Zealand. It is made by honey bees from the nectar of the Manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium), a hardy native shrub with small white or pink flowers. Mānuka is its Māori name.

The bush grows in many parts of New Zealand, often in remote and rugged country. It flowers for only a few weeks a year, so the weather decides how good each harvest will be. After harvest, the honey is tested to confirm it is Manuka and to measure its strength.

Want the full story? Read What Is Manuka Honey for the plant, the grades and the taste, and World Bee Day for why bees matter and how our brands look after them.

How to Celebrate Manuka Honey Day

You don't need a party to mark the day. Here are a few easy ways to enjoy Manuka honey, whether it's your first jar or your fifth.

Start With Breakfast

Drizzle a spoonful over porridge, muesli or natural yoghurt, or spread it on warm toast or crumpets. Manuka honey has a rich, caramel flavour with earthy notes, so a little goes a long way. Many people simply enjoy a spoonful on its own; a wooden honey spoon makes it feel like a small ritual.

Make a Warm Honey Drink

Stir a spoonful into warm water with a squeeze of lemon and a slice of fresh ginger, or into herbal, green or black tea once it has cooled a little. It's lovely in warm milk too. Use warm water rather than boiling: let a just-boiled kettle stand for a few minutes first.

Cook Something With It

Brush it over roast vegetables or meat as a glaze, whisk it into a salad dressing, or serve it with cheese, fruit and nuts on a grazing board. Our guide on how to use Manuka honey has plenty more ideas for the kitchen.

Sharing with the family? Children over 12 months can enjoy it too, but honey of any kind should never be given to babies under 12 months. Our guide to Manuka honey for kids has the details.

Our everyday jars are a great place to start for breakfast, drinks and cooking:

Gift a Jar

A jar of Manuka honey makes a thoughtful gift for anyone who loves good food, and Manuka Honey Day is the perfect excuse. Limited edition and high-grade jars feel extra special, and pairing one with a wooden honey spoon makes it a ready-made present. Here are our favourite jars for gifting:

Choose a Certified Jar

The best way to honour the day is to make sure your jar is the real thing. Look for an independently tested grade on the label: a UMF™ or MGO number. The higher the number, the stronger the honey. UMF™ jars also carry a licence number you can check on the UMF Honey Association's website.

We group every jar into three strengths, so you can pick the one that suits you:

Not sure which grade to choose? Our Manuka honey UMF guide walks you through the grades, and our guide on how to spot fake Manuka honey shows you the label checks that matter.