November 15, 2018
Hemp future for Dannevirke taiwhenua
Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua Trust is looking to build a hemp business.
Hayden Hape from Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua Trust says hemp has been grown in the region for several years, and the taiwhenua wants to step it up and build a factory to produce hemp oil, fibre and other products.
It is in talks with a Chinese company that is a world-leader in extraction technology about building a factory, and this week it signed a memorandum of understanding with Massey University to work on the growing programme.
"If we can get really good results from the growing programme this season we will seriously sit down with Cheow Pai and hopefully the government and work out how we can make this happen. The factory will employ between 100 and 150 and then you get everything that rolls out from it, the growing and so on," Mr Hape says.
The taiwhenua is also looking for partnerhips with other iwi and farmers who can grow hemp for the factory.
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