increase font size
The project aims to enable locally grown hemp food products to compete with imported varieties.
A new project funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) aims to establish a hemp seed processing plant in New Zealand.
MPI is contributing more than $245,000 to Hemp Connect’s two-year pilot project through its Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund.
The project aims to enable locally grown hemp food products to compete with imported varieties.
Since 2020, the Levin-based company has been working on creative solutions for processing New Zealand grown hemp more efficiently and reducing production costs.
“One of the keys to reducing costs has been researching how to use the entire seed, as well as the associated waste streams,” says Mathew Johnson, managing director of Hemp Connect.
“Our goal with this project is to make hemp food production in New Zealand a viable and internationally competitive option.”
Johnson says, traditionally, the cost of importing hemp food has been significantly cheaper than producing it locally.
“By increasing the scale of production, new product developments such as husk bi-products, hemp sprouts and animal feed will become more economically viable,” he says.
“We’ve been working tirelessly to modify our existing equipment and have researched equipment from all over the world to find ways of getting the most out of every hemp seed.
“Kiwis are incredible thinkers when it comes to innovation, particularly in the food and beverage industry. We have loved working with so many people, including our new staff, engineers, electricians and pneumatic specialists, to apply our Number 8 Wire and problem-solving skills to an industry that has been around for centuries, but without the New Zealand touch.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with MPI to prove our concept at a larger scale, and look forward to working hard over the next two years to make this a reality.”
Steve Penno, director of investment programmes, says the project fits with the Government’s Fit for a Better World roadmap.
“Hemp doesn’t need chemicals and is drought tolerant, so it has environmental benefits. One of the most exciting aspects of this project will be enabling Hemp Connect to develop products that have never been produced domestically or internationally.”
The New Zealand hemp industry is hoping for quick and comprehensive reform of its legislative framework after a recent "historic" visit to sites in Canterbury by a big group of politicians, officials and industry stakeholders.
Data from February 2025 shows volumes of bulk wine exports exceeded packaged wine.
The drought in western parts of the North Island is reaching crisis point with many farmers from Northland to Taranaki having to truck in water and feed for their stock at great expense.
The recent East Coast Farming Expo, held over two days at Wairoa, offered an insight into the current state of agriculture on the east of the North Island, at a time when the locals are remembering the second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle.
OPINION: At last, a serious effort to better connect farmers and scientists.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: The appendage swinging contest between the US and China continues, with China hitting back with a new rate of…
OPINION: The irony of President Trump’s tariff obsession is that the worst damage may be done to his own people.
