Not every New Year barbecue births a beverage. But for entrepreneur Joe Harawira, a chat over drinks became Wai Mānuka, a product now cracking international markets.
It was December 31, 2019, and Joe Harawira was ringing in the New Year with a few close friends when a conversation over drinks changed his life.
“I was drinking pineapple kombucha that night, and for the life of me, it tasted nothing like pineapple.
“After complaining to everyone about it, we thought, ‘Why not create our own non-alcoholic drink?’” says Harawira.
The barbecue quickly turned into a brainstorming session. “From the start, we wanted to create an export product that puts New Zealand on the map, and we saw an opportunity to build our brand around mānuka honey’s global reputation for health, wellness and quality.
“The next day, I did a bit of research and found that no one was actually making a premium sparkling honey drink. That’s when I contacted the boys and said, ‘Hey man, no one else is doing this. Let’s do it,’” he says.
True taste of Aotearoa
Not long after Harawira rolled up his sleeves, the whole country went into Covid lockdown in March 2020. What was a setback for many turned out to be a turning point in his life.
“Covid gave us the platform and momentum. During lockdown, I relocated from Wellington to Whakatāne to be with my mum. I had the time and space to build the business, develop the recipe and learn about the industry – and all the wonderful things that come with starting a business and finding the right people.”
With the help of a professional beverage technician and a local beekeeper, Harawira landed on the formula: mānuka honey with sparkling water and a splash of lemon juice. Just like that, Wai Mānuka was born.
The goal is to bring the true flavour of Aotearoa to every bottle. “Now we source our honey from along the Bay of Plenty coastline and inland areas up to the East Cape – part of what’s known as ‘The Golden Triangle’ for mānuka honey,” he says.
Launch changed everything
Coming out of lockdown in June 2020, just as Wai Mānuka was ready to launch, Harawira was presented with a “wild idea”.
“A mentor of mine asked if we’d be keen to launch Wai Mānuka’s first run at the 36th America’s Cup, which was set to kick off in Auckland in 2021,” he says.
Brand new to the business game, the opportunity felt out of their league – but Harawira said yes anyway.
“We met all the criteria – they were looking for beverage brands that represented New Zealand to supply at this international yachting event.”
Up against well-established industry giants, Harawira thought he’d blown the panel interview and was ready to move on. What did he know. Two weeks later, Wai Mānuka was selected – alongside Coca-Cola – as an official non-alcoholic drink supplier.
“I was like, holy shit, I can’t believe our market launch was the America’s Cup!”
From NYE to NYC
The grand debut gave Wai Mānuka a wave of hype and national media coverage, says Harawira.
“We ended up doing an interview with Seven Sharp because they couldn’t believe a few mates with no industry experience had created a drink during lockdown – and somehow became an official partner of the America’s Cup,” he laughs.
From there, the brand continued to grow nationwide. In early 2021, they launched into hotels, cafes and restaurants, and began the onboarding process with Foodstuffs to get into New World.
In June 2025, Wai Mānuka won Te Whakatairanga Grant from the Whāriki Māori Business Network and oOh!media, launching a Matariki campaign.
Then, in late 2024, Wai Mānuka got its lucky break to expand overseas.
“A distributor from Finesaler, who represents Antipodes Water in New York City, was in New Zealand scouting for other products. He came across Wai Mānuka, tried it and phoned me up, saying, ‘I’m in New Zealand for another three or four days – can we meet in person?’”
After a factory tour and some afternoon tea, the partnership was sealed – and in March this year, Wai Mānuka officially cracked the US market. Less than two months in, they had a second order from Finesaler.
With the rise in non-alcoholic drinkers, Wai Mānuka is well positioned to capitalise on this cultural shift, says Harawira. “We’re on track to expand into 80 to 100 outlets throughout New York City.
“I was lucky enough to visit New York not long ago, and seeing the response to the product was really exciting,” he adds.
Meanwhile, with support from the Asia New Zealand Foundation, the drink has also launched into Japan – and now has its sights set on China.
Driven by purpose
As the brand grows its footprint internationally, Harawira hopes to use Wai Mānuka’s success to uplift local talent.
“Once we get big enough, I’d love to set aside a portion of the profits to fund initiatives like incubators for young entrepreneurs or programmes that support secondary school students transitioning into the real world,” he says.
Drawing on his experience doing business overseas, Harawira believes a shift is needed here in Aotearoa.
“In New Zealand, if you come forward with an audacious goal, more often than not you’ll hear, ‘That’s going to cost too much,’ ‘That’ll take too long,’ or ‘It’s too hard.’
“We need to let entrepreneurs be entrepreneurs – to try things, to make mistakes. Because the whole point isn’t to get it right the first time. It’s to learn, grow and come back better.”
Bottle design tells a story
Renowned Māori carver and traditional tattoo artist Arekatera (Katz) Maihi is the designer behind the tā moko featured on each bottle.
The design symbolises the dance between bees, the phases of the moon and the changing seasons that create the honey.
“We know Katz through a local connection. He volunteered to design the bottle for us after I gave him a case of Wai Mānuka as koha,” laughs Harawira.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 84, Sept-Nov 2025. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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