The main requirements of the Gisborne District Council bylaws affecting keeping bees are:

Number of hives per property 

     in Residential Zone within Gisborne Urban Area

Area less than 600m2	None
Area between 600m2  and  900m2	One
Area greater than 900m2	Two

 

    in Residential Zone outside Gisborne Urban Area  

Three

Site requirements       

The beehives must either have an obstruction in front of them or be elevated to ensure that the flight path of the bees is above 2.5m at the property boundary.

Water

A water trough must be provided and maintained on the property.

Split hives     

Some hives may be split, but the resulting hives must be removed within six weeks in spring and summer or by 30 September in autumn and winter.

 

The full bylaws are contained in the pdf file, “Keeping of Animals, Bees and Poultry Bylaw 2005” and may be downloaded from http://www.gdc.govt.nz/bylaws/ .                

Bees have four wings.