Hopes a manuka honey summit between Australia and New Zealand could end sticky trademark situation

The federal government wants Australian and New Zealand beekeepers to hold a "workshop" to end a long-running trans-Tasman battle over manuka honey.

But Kiwi producers have been fighting for years for exclusive rights to the word mānuka, arguing it is a Māori name inextricably tied to New Zealand, like the term champagne is to a region in France.

"This is a ridiculous argument," said Paul Callander, chairman of the Australian Manuka Honey Association.

NZ producers have attempted to trademark the term in at least seven jurisdictions and so far, the federal government has resisted calls to provide financial support to Australian beekeepers to fight the move.

"I … propose that the Australian and New Zealand governments jointly facilitate a workshop with our respective manuka honey industries," Mr Tehan said, in a statement to the ABC.

The push for a trademark has been led by a group of Kiwi producers and the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association.

"You get slight regional differences, slight climate differences, but basically the chemical makeup of New Zealand and Australian manuka honey is almost identical," he said.

"The New Zealand Government is backing its beekeepers financially, so what incentive do they have to stop their legal efforts to get this trademark?" said Mr Callander.