About Us

Hemp is undoubtedly the future of sustainable farming and high value commodity production.

NZ Hemp Brokers was established by Chris Woodney with the goal of growing New Zealand’s industrial hemp (iHemp) industry and linking licensed local growers and manufacturers with trusted international buyers.

We share your passion for hemp’s time-honoured agricultural tradition and the positive difference it can make as a sustainable farming crop, nutrient-rich food source, and highly versatile fibre for construction, clothing and myriad other textile uses.

From our headquarters in Rotorua, New Zealand, we have quickly grown to become one of the country’s most trusted industrial hemp wholesalers and New Zealand’s only import/export broker specialising in hemp products.

We work closely with partner company Kākāriki Hemp Processing and Far North Hemp to provide a one-stop shop for people involved in industrial hemp growing, harvesting, processing and exporting. Our ‘seed to sale’ approach means we are involved in all stages of the production process and using all parts of the hemp plant, from the roots to the tip.

We offer consultancy services, processing advice and machinery, brokerage to link growers and manufacturers with our extensive international network, and workshops for people interested in hemp as a sustainable and high-value crop. Our online store stocks a growing range of hemp products, from hemp balm and seeds to stock feed and pet food.

NZ Hemp Brokers is licensed by the Ministry of Health to grow, trade in and process industrial hemp. We are registered brokers and are certified in hemp medicine by the NZ Hemp Foundation. Our operations are environmentally sustainable and permitted under New Zealand law.

Values

Sustainability: We believe in a more sustainable world. Hemp is a truly sustainable crop that can restore polluted soils, prevent deforestation, absorb CO2 and much more. It has a low environmental impact and contributes to all 17 UN Sustainability Goals.

Seed to sale: We partner with local growers, processors, manufacturers and retailers to handle the whole production process, ensuring transparency and a fair deal for all.

Social responsibility: Industrial hemp has the potential to feed, clothe, and house the world’s growing population. It also improves soil conditioning and offers more income and increased employment for rural communities.

Our team

Chris Woodney

Director, NZ Hemp Brokers

Chris has a very personal link with the difference cannabinoids naturally found in hemp plants can make when added to a nutritional diet.

He began learning about hemp in 2011 to help a close friend manage Chron’s Disease. At that stage it was just a hobby, but things changed in 2015 when he received a phone call from his mother advising him that his sister had been diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia and given just two weeks to live. She undertook chemo and a bone marrow transplant immediately, saving her life, but she had a long road to recovery ahead of her. Chris suggested she use hemp as a supplemental food to aid her recovery but at the time he found it difficult to articulate the benefits to many the doctors and nurses involved in her care.

This experience challenged Chris, and he vowed to learn more so he could explain the benefits of hemp in a way doctors would understand. He traveled the world attending seminars, courses and expos to meet with and learn from the world’s leading experts in cannabinoid research. He gained an understanding of the endocannabinoid System found in all vertebrates and the ability of cannabinoids to strengthen neuropathic pathways and aid the brain in maintaining homeostasis. Chris obtained a license to grow, trade in and process industrial hemp and was able to convince his sister of the benefits of hemp as a functional food, aiding her recovery and helping her to continue living a happy life.

Chris is now recognised as one of New Zealand’s foremost cannabis and hemp innovators and educators. In 2017 he was part of a team educating doctors at the NZ Medical Association’s General Practice Conference & Medical Exhibition events in Rotorua and Christchurch. He took part in the NZ Hemp Industry Association’s 2016 Hemp Awareness Week and toured New Zealand for two months the same year to run a roadshow for farmers and other people interested in hemp’s economic, nutritional, health and environmental potential.

Andrew Bell

Director, Kākāriki Hemp Processing

Andrew is a former dairy farmer who knows the realities of farming life. Now based in Rotorua, he has an in-depth understanding of how hemp can be processed and how hemp can complement existing farming operations.

Andrew leads the industrial hemp processing side of the business and is heavily involved in setting up the hemp processing equipment we hire and sell. He also plays a lead role in training farmers in the safe use of the equipment and providing the training required to ensure hemp growing and processing complies with Ministry of Primary Industries food plans and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

Brian Camplin

Director, Far North Hemp

Brian is an experienced police prosecutor living in the tropical climate of Northland, New Zealand. He provides NZ Hemp Brokers with legal advice and access to his 4Ha block of certified organic land for our certified organic breeding programme.

This partnership ensures internal audits are conducted to the highest professional standards and allows us to test new hemp cultivars for approval to the list of authorised industrial hemp cultivars in New Zealand. NZ Hemp Brokers currently has rights to four Chinese hemp varieties in preparation for legislative changes that will allow hemp to be supplied as a good product in New Zealand.

Brian brings to the team a wealth of knowledge in the legal and compliance framework required to ensure we maintain compliant with current regulations and GMP.