Goal of the summit
NZ can be the best in the world at growing & using hemp. This summit will provide NZ companies, farmers, scientists, funders and regulators with the information they need to collaboratively develop the NZ industrial hemp economy. The summit will share local and international knowledge on hemp, identify the local and export opportunities available to companies entering the industry, highlight the barriers to success within the market and develop strategies and relationships that will help the industry to overcome them.
See the draft program outline at hempsummit.nz
Speakers committed to date
| Speaker | Intended Topic |
| Mack McIntosh – NZHIA Chair
|
20+year perspective of the NZ industry
|
| Bob Doyle – Managing Director, Hemp International Australia (Australia) | Growing, harvesting and processing hemp for fibre |
| Phil Warner – Managing Director, Ecofibre (Australia) | A vision for hemp in New Zealand |
| Manu Caddie – Managing Director, Hikurangi Group | Experiences of NZ’s first medicinal cannabinoid company |
| Professor Kim Pickering – University of Waikato | Emerging R&D on hemp fibre composites |
| Steve Saunders – Founder and Owner, Plus Group | Models for raising investment |
| Renata Hakiwai – Director, Whenua Kura | Skills and training for the hemp economy |
| Stephen Tallon – Callaghan Innovation | Optimising extraction using supercritical CO2 |
| Nick McMillan – Extraction expert | Options for extraction of plant extracts from hemp |
| Anna Campbell – Managing Director, AbacusBio | Plant genomics and breeding programmes |
| Andrew Gibbs – Partner, Deloitte | The economics of growing hemp for medicinal production |
| Simon Rowell – Founder, Innovation Liberation Front | Maximising the value of IP |
| Carmelle Riley – Whenua Kura | Maximising the value of hemp for the Māori economy |
| Dr Mike Nichols | Phytoremediation and growing medicinal cannabis |
| Dr Margaret Davidson – Western Sydney University (Australia) | Health and safety in hemp cultivation and processing |
The table below provides a draft summary of planned sessions.
| Planned Sessions | Planned Speakers and Summary |
| Vision for the Hemp Industry | Drawing from international perspectives and experiences, the Summit will begin by presenting a vision for what the future of the hemp industry could look like, both locally and globally.
|
| Introduction to Hemp – a New Zealand perspective | This session will present opportunities for hemp in NZ based on the experiences of other countries, focussing on products that can be produced now for established global markets. It will also provide various perspectives on the potential future value of the hemp industry to NZ, socially, environmentally and economically.
|
| Industry Economics Part 1 – how can NZ create a competitive advantage? | This session will provide an overview of the economics of hemp production for food, fibre and medicine and identify potential export opportunities. It will also aim to offer perspectives on global industry dynamics, the competitive positions of other countries and how NZ could create a unique position.
|
| Industry Economics Part 2 – what does the ideal industrial hemp value chain look like? | A facilitated session that will seek engagement from the delegates to understand what the industrial hemp value chain in NZ currently looks like. This will be followed by again sourcing ideas from the delegates to identify gaps and growth areas, and create a vision for the value chain that will create maximum impact for NZ.
|
| Industry Economics Part 3 – maximising the value of hemp for the Māori economy | A discussion on potential approaches and models for maximising the value of hemp across the Māori economy. |
| Moving to Hemp Part 1 – growing and harvesting industrial hemp | The Moving to Hemp block sessions will begin by discussing local and international experiences in converting land for hemp production. The aim of this session will be to provide insights into: the requirements for cultivating hemp in the NZ climate, regions that are best suited to cultivation and plant variety selection and specific cultivation/harvesting techniques for food, fibre and medicine applications. It will also cover the latest information on plant breeding in NZ.
|
| Moving to Hemp Part 2 – plant science and cultivar selection | |
| Hemp for Fibre | An overview of techniques for cultivating, harvesting and processing hemp for fibre production, as well as a summary of current and future product opportunities and emerging research areas. |
| Hemp for Food | An overview of current opportunities and barriers for the use of hemp seeds and oils in food products. The session will aim to cover the health benefits of hemp products and facilitate discussion on potential high value product opportunities based on global trends.
|
| Hemp for Medicine | This session will provide an overview of that latest science on the efficacy of cannabinoids in medicine and discuss key considerations for cultivation and extraction.
|
| Filling the Value Chain Gaps Part 1 – the importance of skills and training | A discussion on the importance of skills development and training in creating a new emerging NZ industry.
|
| Filling the Value Chain Gaps Part 2 – the value of intellectual property | An introduction to the IP protection and licensing principles that will be relevant across the NZ hemp value chain and how these can be best used to support and protect our unique position.
|
| Filling the Value Chain Gaps Part 3 – health and safety in hemp cultivation | A discussion on potential health and safety considerations for the emerging hemp industry and provide insight into methods for developing best practice guidelines for growers and manufacturers. |
| Filling the Value Chain Gaps Part 4 – models for raising investment | This session will focus on key considerations and potential models for raising funds in the New Zealand funding and investment environment.
|
| Summit Dinner | Day One will close with a Summit Dinner in the evening, providing a valuable opportunity for networking and building connections to support New Zealand’s emerging hemp economy.
|