30 July 2025
OIAD-1653
Spencer Jones
[FYI request #31349 email]
Tēnā koe Spencer
Thank you for your email of 19 June 2025 requesting the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act) of the Ministry for the Environment (the Ministry):
I request the following information concerning the Ministry for the Environment’s
involvement in the industrial hemp (iHemp) sector:
1. Environmental Role and Responsibilities
Al documents or communications outlining MfE’s role in supporting or regulating
industrial hemp, including but not limited to areas relating to environmental impact,
sustainability, climate mitigation, or emissions reduction.
2. Interagency Communication and Duplication
Al internal or interagency communications (including emails, reports, minutes, or
briefings) between MfE and the following agencies:
•
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI),
•
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE),
•
Ministry of Health (Medsafe),
that refer to shared responsibilities, overlapping functions, or duplicated regulatory
roles related to industrial hemp policy, implementation, or oversight.
3. Policy and Efficiency Reviews
Any policy papers, reviews, or briefing materials identifying concerns, risks, or
evaluations regarding:
•
duplicated administrative or regulatory processes across agencies,
•
inefficiencies in interagency collaboration,
•
environmental oversight gaps specific to the industrial hemp sector.
4. Funding, Contracts, and Programs
Details of any MfE-administered funding, contracts, pilot programs, or research
initiatives directly related to industrial hemp, including projects on sustainability,
climate-smart agriculture, or carbon sequestration through hemp cultivation
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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On 17 July 2025, the timeframes in responding to your request was extended by 10 working
days under section 15A(1)(b) of the Act, as consultations necessary to make a decision on
the request were such that a proper response couldn’t be made within the original time limit.
In response to your request, I am refusing this under section 18(e) of the Act; that the
document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist, or despite reasonable
efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Office of the Ombudsman of
my decisions relating to this request, in accordance with section 28(3) of the Act. The
relevant details can be f
ound at: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
Please note that due to the public interest in our work, the Ministry publishes responses to
requests for official information shortly after the response has been sent on our website at:
https://environment.govt.nz/about-us/official-information-act-requests/. If you have any
queries about this, please feel free to contact our Ministerial Services team at:
[email address].
Nāku noa, nā
Electronically Approved by Charlotte Harris-Miller
Charlotte Harris-Miller
Manager – Climate Priorities and Forecasting
Ministry for the Environment | Manatū Mō Te Taiao
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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