Chasing the honey money: Transparency, trust, and identity crafting in the Aotearoa New Zealand mānuka honey sector

Abstract

Advances in digital technology are altering the methods through which trust is established and maintained within value chain relationships, including those within the Aotearoa New Zealand mānuka honey sector, where the increasing value of the honey and the increasing threat of food fraud have impacted power dynamics between value chain actors. This paper explores how three Aotearoa New Zealand mānuka honey companies have responded to these changes, focusing on their efforts to craft and convey images of themselves as trustworthy producers and partners. To this end the companies are seen to use digital technologies in their attempts to establish character-based, institution-based, and process-based trust with those in their value chains by displaying their ability, integrity, and benevolence.