New Zealand has recently modernised its hemp regulatory framework. Cabinet-approved reforms remove routine licensing requirements for hemp, increase the allowable THC threshold to less than 1 percent, and permit the supply of Hemp plant material (including flowers and leaves) to licensed Medicinal Cannabis producers. Growers must notify Police and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) before planting, and all applicable Food Safety, Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM), and Medicinal cannabis scheme requirements continue to apply.
Further information is available via:
Misuse of Drugs Amendment Regulations 2026
New Zealand Police
Ministry of Primary Industries
New Zealand Hemp Industries Association
New Zealand Medicinal Cannabis Council
The Aotearoa Hemp Alliance (AHA) was established in 2021 to enable and facilitate commercial pathways to market for low THC Hemp derived products in New Zealand and abroad, by engagement with parallel industry partners, regulatory bodies and government, that will support the successful development of a regional Industrial Hemp (iHemp) industry in New Zealand. The founding members of the alliance are three vertically integrated iHemp companies located in three diverse regions of NZ - Midlands (Canterbury), KANAPU Hemp Foods (Hawke’s Bay) and Hemp Connect (Horowhenua).
The ambition of the alliance is to achieve changes to current NZ legislation for iHemp and Cannabidiol (CBD) that will open-up new and existing opportunities for growth, enabling better farm-gate returns and an economically sustainable industry for the regions.
