Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,

Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information regarding the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s involvement in the regulation and development of the industrial hemp (iHemp) sector in New Zealand:

1. **MBIE’s Role and Activities**
All documents or communications (including internal reports, policy papers, or ministerial briefings) outlining MBIE’s responsibilities or activities in relation to the industrial hemp sector. This includes but is not limited to:

* Innovation or research grants,
* Regulatory input or enforcement,
* Policy development or industry consultation.

2. **Interagency Communications on Duplication**
All communications (including emails, meeting minutes, or joint working documents) with:

* Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI),
* Ministry of Health (Medsafe),
* Ministry for the Environment (MfE),
regarding any shared responsibilities, duplication of regulatory roles, or joint initiatives for hemp licensing, compliance, research, or standard-setting.

3. **Overlapping Mandates or Inefficiencies**
Any internal assessments, policy reviews, or consultation feedback identifying concerns about:

* overlapping jurisdiction or role confusion across agencies,
* cost inefficiencies or administrative duplication in the industrial hemp regulatory framework.

4. **Governance and Coordination Documents**
Any frameworks, memoranda of understanding, interdepartmental protocols, or governance structures used by MBIE to coordinate hemp regulation or industry support with other government departments.

I request the information in electronic format, where practicable. Should any part of this request be declined, please specify the reason with reference to the relevant section(s) of the Act.

I look forward to your response within the statutory timeframe of 20 working days.

Yours faithfully,

SPENCER JONES

Official Information Act Request – Refined Scope: MBIE’s Role in Industrial Hemp

Kia ora MBIE,

This is a refined follow-up to my earlier OIA request (Ref: DOIA-REQ-0016727, 21 August 2025) regarding MBIE’s involvement in the industrial hemp (iHemp) sector. To ensure the scope is clear and reasonable, I now request the following:

⸻

1. Interagency Communications (Time-Bound)

Copies of any communications (emails, meeting notes, or briefings) between MBIE and MPI, Medsafe, or MfE relating to industrial hemp regulation, licensing, or shared responsibilities between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024.

⸻

2. Ministerial Briefings

Copies of any ministerial briefings prepared by MBIE since 1 January 2022 that refer to industrial hemp, including references to:
• interagency coordination,
• shared or overlapping roles, or
• industry development or regulatory barriers.

⸻

3. Search Evidence if No Records Exist

If MBIE holds no information within scope, please confirm this explicitly and provide a brief description of the searches undertaken to establish this, as per your obligations under the OIA.

⸻

Notes
• I am seeking documents in electronic form.
• If parts of documents require withholding under sections 6 or 9 of the OIA, I request that you release all reasonably separable factual material in accordance with s17A.
• If this request is considered too broad, I invite MBIE to contact me under s13 of the OIA (duty to assist) so that we can refine the scope further.

⸻

Spencer Jones,
Spencer Jones