Manuka honey is so strongly associated with New Zealand that many Australians are surprised to learn Australia produces it at all — let alone that Australian research has put its own honey up against New Zealand's and published the results.
Here is what the evidence actually shows, and where the marketing gets ahead of it.
Both countries, one plant genus
Manuka honey is made from the nectar of Leptospermum plants, which are native to both Australia and New Zealand. That shared botany is the root of the whole debate.
The difference is diversity. New Zealand's Manuka honey comes essentially from a single species, Leptospermum scoparium. Australia, by contrast, has more than 80 native Leptospermum species — the largest diversity of the genus in the world.
New Zealand simply got there first commercially. The special properties of Manuka honey were identified in New Zealand in the 1980s, through work by Molan and Russell, and New Zealand built an export category around it over the following decades. Australia's active Leptospermum sources were largely characterised later, with research such as Cokcetin et al. (2016).
What the Australian research found
The substantive comparison comes from a five-year study funded by AgriFutures Australia, run jointly by the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Sydney and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The scale was significant: more than 5,000 honey samples and 2,000 nectar samples from across Australia.
The headline findings, as reported by ABC News:
- Australian medicinal honey was found to be "as good as, or more active than" New Zealand medicinal honey.
- At least seven of Australia's 80-plus Leptospermum species produce honey with exceptionally high antibacterial activity in laboratory testing.
- Dr Peter Brooks, senior chemistry lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast honey lab, stated that some Australian species are "three or four times more active than New Zealand."
- Many other Australian species produce honey with therapeutically beneficial activity, even outside that top tier.
Separately, analytical chemist Dr Simon Williams tested 55 of Australia's 84 Leptospermum species and published an identification guide mapping the approximate locations of the most active plants.
Where the good Australian flows are
The research identified three regional hot spots for high-value Australian Manuka:
- South-east Queensland
- Northern New South Wales
- Western Tasmania
Goldland Co is based in Queensland, inside the first of those regions.
An important caveat, stated plainly
It would be easy to stop there and declare Australian Manuka the winner. That would overstate the finding.
What the research shows is that the best Australian Leptospermum species can match or exceed New Zealand's — seven of more than eighty. It does not show that Australian Manuka is uniformly stronger, and it does not mean any jar labelled Australian Manuka outperforms any jar labelled New Zealand Manuka.
The AgriFutures work also found that storage temperature and maturation time affect whether a honey reaches its potential at all. Country of origin is one variable among several. Species, region, season, handling and maturation all matter.
What actually determines the strength of the jar in your hand is the tested number on the label — not the flag.
Different countries, different grading systems
This is where buyers most often get confused, because the two countries label differently.
| Australia | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Common rating | MGO (methylglyoxal, mg/kg) | UMF, often alongside MGO |
| Governing body | Australian Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) | UMF Honey Association |
| Source species | 80+ Leptospermum species | Primarily Leptospermum scoparium |
| Minimum for certification | MGO 30 / DHA 60 (Authorised); MGO 85 / DHA 170 (Authentic) | Graded on the UMF scale from UMF 5+ |
The two scales are convertible. UMF 10+ corresponds to roughly MGO 263+, and UMF 20+ to roughly MGO 829+, according to the UMF Honey Association's published chart. We work through the full conversion table in our guide to MGO grades explained.
The Australian standard, set by the AMHA Scientific Advisory Committee, requires certified honey to be produced in Australia, tested by an independent approved laboratory, and to meet minimum MGO and DHA levels when packed. Testing both compounds matters: MGO indicates potency, while DHA demonstrates that the potency developed naturally from Leptospermum nectar.
So which should you buy?
A more useful question than "Australian or New Zealand" is: what is the tested grade, who tested it, and where was it packed?
Reasons Australians reasonably choose Australian Manuka:
- Verified potency at the top end. The best Australian species stand up to New Zealand's in published laboratory testing.
- Shorter supply chain. Domestic production means fewer handling stages, and shipping within Australia rather than across the Tasman.
- Price. New Zealand Manuka carries a substantial brand premium built over forty years. Comparable Australian MGO grades often cost less.
- Supporting local producers. Australian Leptospermum beekeeping is a young industry in regional Queensland, NSW and Tasmania.
And the honest counterpoint: New Zealand's category is older, its certification more familiar to consumers, and there is a great deal of excellent New Zealand honey. The Australian case is that it competes on merit — not that the other side lacks any.
You can see our Australian Manuka Honey range by MGO grade here, from MGO 100+ through to our limited MGO 1780+ house grade.
This article summarises published research on Leptospermum honey activity and the grading systems used in Australia and New Zealand. Laboratory antibacterial activity measurements are not the same as clinical outcomes. Nothing here is health or medical advice or a therapeutic claim. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional about any health concern.
