Industrial Hemp Innovation, Bioeconomy, and Interagency Oversight (2020–2025)
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Currently waiting for a response from Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear MBIE,
Under the OIA, I request the following information from 1 January 2020 to 2 September 2025:
Bioeconomy/Innovation Role
Documents or reports identifying iHemp in MBIE’s bioeconomy or innovation frameworks (e.g., 2023 bioeconomy report, circular economy initiatives).
Funding/Contracts
Records of MBIE-administered funding, pilot programs, or partnerships involving iHemp (e.g., Callaghan Innovation projects).
Interagency Communications
All communications with MoH, MPI, MfE about hemp regulation, duplication, or efficiency reforms.
Policy/Efficiency Reviews
Any reviews or papers assessing inefficiencies or overlaps in iHemp regulation.
Please confirm which teams/databases were searched, and which keywords used.
Yours faithfully,
Spencer Jones
From: NoReplyMinisterialServices
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Kia ora Spencer Jones,
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 2/09/2025 requesting, under the Official
Information Act 1982, the following:
Under the OIA, I request the following information from 1 January 2020 to
2 September 2025:
Bioeconomy/Innovation Role
Documents or reports identifying iHemp in MBIE’s bioeconomy or innovation
frameworks (e.g., 2023 bioeconomy report, circular economy initiatives).
Funding/Contracts
Records of MBIE-administered funding, pilot programs, or partnerships
involving iHemp (e.g., Callaghan Innovation projects).
Interagency Communications
All communications with MoH, MPI, MfE about hemp regulation, duplication,
or efficiency reforms.
Policy/Efficiency Reviews
Any reviews or papers assessing inefficiencies or overlaps in iHemp
regulation.
Please confirm which teams/databases were searched, and which keywords
used.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 30/09/2025, being 20 working days after the day your request
was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe. If you have any enquiries
regarding your request feel free to contact us via email to
[1][MBIE request email].
Nāku noa, nā
Ministerial Services
Strategy and Assurance
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 | P O Box 1473 Wellington 6140
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence (note: this contains the same information already available above).
Offensive? Unsuitable?
Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not considered valid requests for Official Information (read more).
If you believe this request is not suitable, you can report it for attention by the site administrators
Report this requestAct on what you've learnt
Similar requests
Industrial Hemp Testing, Environmental Assessments, and Interagency Advice (2020–2025)
To Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited by SPENCER JONES
Official Information Request – MBIE’s Role and Oversight in Industrial Hemp and Regulatory Overlap
To Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment by SPENCER JONES
Smart meter rollout, funding, and health-related oversight
To Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment by SPENCER JONES
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.
Link to this