A dispute over the term “Manuka” is being fought out in the UK between Australian and New Zealand associations.

The New Zealand Manuka Appalachian Society want to trademark the term and took their case, backed by the New Zealand government, to Britain’s Intellectual Property Office.

However the bid was thrown out by the office yesterday.

Chairman Manuka Honey Association Paul Callander called the saga “farcical”.

“We’ve been growing it here and using that word since the 1800s to describe the plant that produces the honey,” he said.

“And we spell at as the word ‘Manuka’ with a macron over the ‘a’, and that means it has no meaning in the Maori language.

“We certainly don’t mean to take anything away from the New Zealand Maori, but this is a plant that’s been growing here for centuries.”

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