Industrial Hemp Agriculture, Food, and Interagency Oversight (2020–2025)
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Ministry for Primary Industries
Response to this request is long overdue. By law Ministry for Primary Industries should have responded by now (details and exceptions). The requester can complain to the Ombudsman.
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear MPI,
Under the OIA, I request the following information from 1 January 2020 to 2 September 2025:
Agricultural/Food Role
Documents on MPI’s role in hemp as food (post-2018 amendment), cultivation, ACVM compliance, seed imports/exports.
Funding/Grants
Records of SFFF or other grants/contracts supporting hemp fibre, seed, or food initiatives (e.g., NZ Natural Fibres, Greenfern).
Interagency Communications
All communications with MoH, MBIE, MfE on hemp regulation, duplication, or coordination.
Policy/Efficiency Reviews
Any internal or external reviews highlighting duplication or oversight inefficiencies in hemp policy.
Please also confirm search methods (teams, databases, keywords) under s18(e).
Yours faithfully,
Spencer Jones
From: Official Information Act
Ministry for Primary Industries
Kia ora Spencer,
Thank you for your official information request received on 02 September 2025.
Your request below will be considered, and a decision provided in accordance with the requirements of the Official Information Act 1982.
If you have any questions regarding this request, please email [email address]
Ngā mihi,
Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs
Ministry for Primary Industries – Manatū Ahu Matua
Charles Fergusson Building, 38-42 Bowen Street | PO Box 2526 | Wellington 6140 | New Zealand
Web: www.mpi.govt.nz
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-----Original Message-----
From: SPENCER JONES <[FOI #32198 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 2 September 2025 1:08 pm
To: Official Information Act <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Industrial Hemp Agriculture, Food, and Interagency Oversight (2020–2025)
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Dear MPI,
Under the OIA, I request the following information from 1 January 2020 to 2 September 2025:
Agricultural/Food Role
Documents on MPI’s role in hemp as food (post-2018 amendment), cultivation, ACVM compliance, seed imports/exports.
Funding/Grants
Records of SFFF or other grants/contracts supporting hemp fibre, seed, or food initiatives (e.g., NZ Natural Fibres, Greenfern).
Interagency Communications
All communications with MoH, MBIE, MfE on hemp regulation, duplication, or coordination.
Policy/Efficiency Reviews
Any internal or external reviews highlighting duplication or oversight inefficiencies in hemp policy.
Please also confirm search methods (teams, databases, keywords) under s18(e).
Yours faithfully,
Spencer Jones
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________________________________
This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase the
original message and attachments. Thank you.
The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the office.
________________________________
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From: Official Information Act
Ministry for Primary Industries
Tçnâ koe Spencer,
On behalf of Steve Penno, Director Investement Programmes, please find
attached a response to your Official Information Act 1982 request.
Kâ mihi,
Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs
Ministry for Primary Industries – Manatû Ahu Matua
Charles Fergusson Building, 38-42 Bowen Street | PO Box 2526 | Wellington
6140
Telephone: 0800 00 83 33 | Email: [1][email address] |
Web: [2]www.mpi.govt.nz
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This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.
The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SPENCER JONES left an annotation ()
📌 FYI.org.nz Annotation – Industrial Hemp OIA Package (2020–2025)
This set of requests follows earlier OIAs (#31349 and related responses OIAD-1653 and OIAD-1707) where both MPI and MfE issued blanket refusals under section 18(e), claiming no records exist. The Ministry for the Environment later acknowledged limited consultation with MPI and MoH, but still asserted no information was held.
Given the contradictions between these refusals and publicly available information — including evidence of funding (e.g., MPI’s SFFF grants, Callaghan Innovation projects), regulatory review activity (2025 Minister Seymour review), and interagency roles already acknowledged in legislation — I am submitting a coordinated package of requests to MoH, MPI, MBIE, and ESR/PHF Science.
The purpose is to:
1. **Clarify interagency roles and responsibilities** (MoH, MPI, MBIE, MfE, ESR);
2. **Test for duplication or inefficiency** in licensing, food regulation, environmental oversight, and bioeconomy policy;
3. **Confirm existence of government funding and pilot projects** that have already been publicly reported;
4. **Ensure transparency in search efforts**, including which units/databases were checked, and whether transfers under s14 were considered.
This approach is designed to establish a clear, cross-agency record before pursuing any further escalation. It is in the public interest given hemp’s role in climate mitigation, sustainable agriculture, and New Zealand’s emerging bioeconomy.
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