• MPI iHemp Industries Liaison Group
• Callaghan Innovation – hosted a great workshop on extraction
• iHemp Magazine and summit Videos – Available Now
• Events – National and International
• iHemp in the news – Press Articles

iHemp Industries Liaison Group

The NZHIA in conjunction with MPI and MOH have set up the “iHemp Industry Liaison Group”, which will meet quarterly to hear the news from Government about issues facing the iHemp industry.

The NZHIA hope to involve other Government ministries affected by the iHemp industry so they can all work together to enable the industry as per the Objective of the 2006 industrial hemp regulations:

“the objective of these regulations is to enable the cultivation and distribution of industrial hemp under a licencing regime that ensures that other forms of cannabis are not cultivated and distributed under the guise of industrial hemp”

The Liaison Group is open to all stakeholders and includes organisations, associations, groups and other businesses involved in or potentially affected by the industry.

We look forward to this as an opportunity to raise awareness of iHemp and the issues facing the industry.  The wider audience will focus the spotlight on the considerable effect the Government has on the emerging iHemp industry and encourage them to get behind iHemp and “enable” the industry.

It is great to have a wide range of industries involved, as they need to identify their roles, in the research and development of this brand new industry for New Zealand/Aotearoa.

We need to remove the uncertainty created by the Government.  All it would take is a politician/Minister to make their intent clear to the officials – Enable the industry, let the industry lead, allow them to work within the legislation and build a world class industry.

If we have to wait for this to happen, we will be paying the licence fees for technology developed overseas instead of overseas companies paying for the licence to use IP and technology created by kiwi ingenuity in New Zealand!

Now is the time to be bold and to support the development of regional economies, based on our sustainable iHemp industry.

Informative presentations on the use and practicalities of extraction methods, in particular super critical CO2, along with an update from the Ministry of Health and the NZHIA were enthusiastically received by attendees.

The attendees ranged from farmers, medicinal cannabis companies,  processors and service industries, like testing laboratories who are all involved in this new emerging industry.

An industry that could very quickly add a significant and new export revenue stream for NZ Inc.

Our “General iHemp licences” authorise the following activities; to posses, procure, supply and process iHemp.
Extraction is just another form of industrial processing, similar to cold pressing hemp seed oil, or hulling seeds.  Extraction can be used to produce CBD for both medicinal and industrial use.

There is an expanding and willing international market, calling for suitable biomass and extracts.  They want NZ grown product – and we could be exporting millions of dollars worth of product to them right now.

NZ could be a world leader, our industry is ready we just need the clear government intent to support and enable us.  We are close to achieving critical mass, the human food market has moved us toward a sustainable business, but we still need access to the revenue streams from all parts of the plant to realise iHemp’s full economic potential.

Videos from the 2018 iHemp Summit are now available on Vimeo.  Members and Summit attendees get free access and the public can watch them here

Issue 5 of the iHemp Magazine is available now –click here

May 1-2 2019, The Hemp Biz conference, Denver Colorado
18-19 May 2019, HHI Expo – Sydney
17-19 May 2019, CannaTrade, International Hemp Fair since 2001, Zurich
May 29 – June 1, 2019 , Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition, New York
June 3-4, 2019 Eastern US hemp Conference & Expo, New York
June 5-6, 2019 16th EIHA Convention, Cologne
November 1-4  26th HIACON, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
November 14-16, 2019 – the Medical Cannabis Conference and Expo, Malta]

Recent iHemp – New Zealand press articles

30 Apr 2019 – Sunmedia – HempFarm celebrate their factory opening

26 Apr 2019 – NZ Herald, Business – Medicinal cannabis firm Pure Cann New Zealand gets $6 million investment

24 Apr 2019 – Stuff – New medicinal cannabis company to create 100 jobs in Taupo

21 Apr 2019 – Stuff – Kiwi drug company AFT looks at medical cannabis opportunities as referendum nears

17 Apr 2019 – NZ Herald – Two thirds of GP’s quizzed about medicinal cannabis

12 Apr 2019 – RNZ – Mack MacIntosh has high hopes for hemp

5 Apr 2019 – Newsroom – Two Cents’ Worth: Growing a cannabis economy

4 Apr 2019 – The Profit – Growing a market for hemp foods from Hawkes Bay

29 Mar 2019 – Stuff – Wairarapa company Breadcraft launches hemp seed, cricket flour wraps

14 Mar 2019 – Supermarket News –  Hemp feature

18 Mar 2019 – Herald- Business Hemp Milk: A Hawkes Bay company is developing it, but would you drink it

19 Feb 2019 – Stuff -Kiwi trio aim to make hemp apparel mainstream fashion

13 Feb 2019 – Viva – Hooray for Hemp: Why Hemp Is The Sustainable Superfood to Watch

10 Feb 2019 – Press Release – Family First – Billboard campaign encourages “Nope to Dope”

2 Feb 2019 – Viva, Why Hemp-Based Food Is On the Rise In New Zealand

7 Jan 2019 – Otago Daily Times – Cannabis museum for Christchurch

1 Dec 2018 – Otago Daily Times – Squaring off over medical Cannabis

Dec 2018 – Kea – How will the new cannabis law reform affect NZ?

24 Aug 2018 – Otago Daily Times – Grower promotes uses of industrial hemp

2 Aug 2018 – Southland Express – Entrepreneur explores hemp’s potential

Join the NZHIA for more information and support for your hemp enterprise, together we stand!