NZHIA Seed Project gives New Zealanders the opportunity to grow hemp, explore its uses and help build a new generation of hemp products and businesses

For the first time in a century, everyday New Zealanders have the opportunity to grow industrial hemp, with the New Zealand Hemp Industries Association (NZHIA) launching its Seed Project for the 2026 growing season.

Changes to New Zealand's industrial hemp regulations in May 2026 removed the previous licensing barrier, allowing anyone to grow low-THC industrial hemp anywhere in New Zealand, subject to the applicable notification requirements.

The regulatory change has created the opportunity. Now we need to grow the industry. The NZHIA Seed Project has been created to put low-THC hemp seed into the hands of New Zealanders and encourage them to grow hemp, learn about the crop, experiment with it and explore the products and businesses that could develop from it.

Seed is available to buy now via the NZHIA SEED PROJECT .

“The regulations have opened the door, and now we need New Zealanders to walk through it,” says Richard Barge, NZHIA Chair. “We want people growing hemp and thinking about what they can make from it. More growers, more ideas and more products will help create the demand needed to build a successful New Zealand hemp industry.”

From Growing Hemp to Growing an Industry

Industrial hemp is an extraordinarily versatile crop, but an industry needs more than a crop. It needs growers producing raw materials, entrepreneurs developing ideas, researchers testing applications, processors adding value, manufacturers making products and consumers creating demand.

The Seed Project is intended to help start that process from the ground up. For some participants, growing hemp may simply be about curiosity and experiencing this remarkable crop for the first time. For others, it could be the beginning of a cottage business, a new product idea, research project or pathway into commercial hemp production.

A few plants grown today could inspire a new food, fibre or building product tomorrow. A successful small-scale experiment could lead to a larger crop, a new business or new demand for locally grown hemp.

That is how we GROW the Change.

Giving New Zealanders the Opportunity to Start

The Seed Project uses Kompolti, a European-bred industrial hemp cultivar with a track record in New Zealand growing conditions.

You don't need to be a commercial farmer to participate. Home gardeners, lifestyle block owners, businesses, researchers, product developers and people who are simply curious about hemp can take part.

The NZHIA will provide participants with practical information on sowing and growing conditions, grower obligations and pollen drift management.

The project will also create a connected nationwide community of growers. This will allow the NZHIA to communicate with participants throughout the season, share useful information, assist with pollen drift management and build knowledge about how hemp performs in different regions and growing conditions.

Grow It. Use It. Make Something.

NZHIA wants participants to think beyond simply growing the plant.

What can you do with the hemp you grow?

Could it become food, fibre, mulch, building material, a craft product or something completely new? Could an existing business use locally grown hemp in its products? Could a cottage-scale idea develop into a commercial opportunity?

These are the ideas the Seed Project aims to stimulate.

The project is about more than the 2026 growing season. It is about creating more growers, more knowledge, more experimentation and more products — ultimately building demand for New Zealand-grown hemp.

Globally, seed, fibre and all plant materials from industrial hemp have potential applications across food, fibre, textiles, paper, building and construction, health and wellness, animal products, horticulture, biomaterials, environmental applications and manufacturing. However some of these "hemp products" are commercially restricted in Aotearoa New Zealand.  

Your Purchase Helps Grow the Industry

The Seed Project is also an NZHIA membership and fundraising initiative. After seed, packaging, administration, GST and project costs, funds generated through the project will contribute towards upgrading the NZHIA website and developing better information and resources for growers, businesses, members and the wider public.

“When you buy seed through the project, you're doing more than planting hemp,” says Barge. “You're supporting the development of the industry and becoming part of a community exploring what hemp can contribute to New Zealand.”

Buy Seed. Grow Hemp. Create Opportunities.

Whether you have a garden, lifestyle block, existing business, or an idea for a product, or simply want to discover what industrial hemp can do, now is the time to get involved.

Plant it. Grow it. Use it. Make something.

Educate. Advocate. GROW the Change.

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