Chill Division
About us

About Chill Division

Who are we, and what is our industry experience?

We're here for the growers and patients, not just the bottom line.

Josiah in the grow room
Our story

Josiah started Chill Division in 2022 after successfully launching his first cannabis company. We're passionate about building a cultivator-centric and patient-focused cannabis industry here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our goal? To help small, independent growers thrive so they can provide Kiwi patients with the freshest, highest-quality flower possible.

Since the hemp law change in May 2026 we've also been sending out CoA-backed hemp cuttings, so people can get hands-on experience cultivating before they commit to a licence.

Josiah pointing to a tablet of grow room data

It's a big dream, but we're making it happen!

How? By sharing knowledge and resources with everyone. We provide information to empower patients and offer tips and tricks to help growers achieve amazing results with high potency and heavy yields.

We're not about gatekeeping knowledge or hoarding "IP" secrets. We want to see a thriving network of growers across the country, all equipped to provide top-quality flower to their local communities.

We believe in using data to make smart decisions that benefit everyone. More licensed growers mean more options for patients, and empowered patients mean better health outcomes!

Over half
of all new cultivation licences issued in 2025 involved us
~Half
of New Zealand's licensed cultivators use our free GRACe portal
Over 2/3
of licensed facilities run the Home Assistant automation system we brought into medicinal cannabis
2
categories we were a finalist in at the Cannabiz Awards 2026
Josiah in the grow room

Why choose Chill Division?

Because we're not just consultants, we're growers with a proven track record of success. We consistently achieve some of the highest THC levels in the country (over 25%!), while the national average is just mid-teens. Don't just take our word for it; we've got the data to back it up!

We're also the only licensing consultants in the country with a finished flower product that has been through NZMQS verification. Our SOPs aren't theory: we follow them ourselves, and they work. In 2025 we were involved in more than half of all new cultivation licences issued, and in 2026 three of those growers have begun taking their own flower through verification along the same pathway.

Forget stuffy consultants in a suit who never touch the garden! And steer clear of those 'experts' with nothing but tall tales to share. We're different. We've got the real-world experience and in-depth knowledge to help you navigate the complexities of cannabis cultivation and the medicinal cannabis regulations. We'll help you avoid unnecessary paperwork and compliance headaches, so you can focus on growing amazing plants.

Pioneers in regulatory compliance

We're pioneers in regulatory compliance, publishing the first open-source growers toolkit to assist with regulatory compliance for plant/flower tracking (GRACe portal), absolutely free, and now used by around half of New Zealand's licensed cultivators. Over two-thirds of licensed facilities run the Home Assistant automation system we first brought into medicinal cannabis in 2021, alongside our open-source dosing, lighting and sensor hardware. You'll find us listed on the Medsafe website, having been providing constructive feedback to the regulatory body since January 2023. Our deep knowledge and commitment to advocacy means we can guide you through the complexities of cannabis compliance, especially those tricky advertising rules.

In 2026 we were a finalist in two categories at the Cannabiz Awards: Best Use of Technology, and Start-up / Launch of the Year.

We recommend what we use, and use what we recommend.

We don't take kickbacks, and we buy our own gear, so if something is in our SOPs it's because it works, not because somebody paid for it to be there.

Since 2020

Timeline

Our journey began in November 2020 with a single seed, planted, admittedly, in a not-so-legal way. But after a motorbike accident in 2021, Josiah had a realization: this was his calling. Here's a glimpse of our journey so far:

  1. 20201 milestone

    1. Nov

      First illicit genetics planted

  2. 20213 milestones

    1. Apr

      Motorbike accident that began the change of career

    2. Aug

      First genetics declared and provided to licensed cultivation company

    3. Oct

      Began full-time on startup of Skyman Industries. Authored SOPs, designed and built facility, security, automation and irrigation systems

  3. 20223 milestones

    1. Mar

      Requested advertising regulation clarification from MCA, told "It's coming shortly..."

    2. Apr

      License acquired for cultivation at Skyman Industries, primary cultivator role

    3. Dec

      Formed Chill Division and Pause Labs after leaving Skyman Industries

  4. 202314 milestones

    1. Jan

      Regulatory feedback requested from MCA, provided in response to proposed changes

    2. Mar

      Presented "How to survive Medicinal Cannabis in NZ" guide for cultivators, published on YouTube

    3. Apr

      Became a member of the Medicinal Cannabis Council

    4. May

      Ran a billboard advertising medicinal cannabis

    5. Jun

      Published Treatment of Cannabis to meet NZ Microbial Standards on YouTube

    6. Jun

      First genetics provided to publicly traded company

    7. Jul

      Presented treatment findings to NZ Medicinal Cannabis Council on microbial management

    8. Jul

      Created booklet for J-Day with Helius Therapeutics informing patients of rights etc

    9. Jul

      Presentation on Offtake Agreements for cultivators published on YouTube

    10. Aug

      Presented in-person at opening of Whakamana Cannabis Museum

    11. Sep

      AMA hosted on r/MedicalCannabisNZ

    12. Sep

      Cultivation license issued for Pause Labs

    13. Oct

      Hosted doctors tour of cultivation facility

    14. Dec

      Certificate of Analysis for first harvest, multiple results reaching 26% Total Potential THC

  5. 202419 milestones

    1. Jan

      First external cultivator license submitted with our SOPs & consulting

    2. Feb

      Published Medicinal Cannabis Advertising guidelines booklet

    3. Feb

      Published Genetics Declaration Handbook for licensed facilities and legacy growers alike

    4. Apr

      Hosted & organized first ever cultivators event for licensed growers

    5. May

      Feedback provided to MCA regarding safes, shipping containers, and cannabis storage

    6. May

      First out of region on-site visit to licensed cultivator for whole-day consult

    7. Jun

      Research into flower LOD vs aW, loaned lab equipment to Puro

    8. Jun

      Published custom circuitboard for light interfacing and automations

    9. Jul

      Published R&D fitout materials list for small cultivation facilities

    10. Jul

      Published first episode of Chill Chats cannabis podcast

    11. Aug

      Published research paper on microbial load reduction with post-harvest PAA treatment

    12. Aug

      Published Visitor sign in/out tracker for facilities (open-source and free)

    13. Aug

      Medsafe added Chill Division to Regulatory Advisory website for Medicinal Cannabis Advertising, Training, SOPs etc

    14. Sep

      Supply license granted for Chill Division

    15. Sep

      Cultivation license granted for first SOP consulting client

    16. Oct

      Published GRACe portal (open-source and free) to streamline cultivators regulatory compliance

    17. Nov

      Hosted second Cultivators event for licensed growers

    18. Nov

      Published custom code for substrate sensor to integrate with automation systems

    19. Dec

      Custom PCB: Commenced Auto Batch Doser project, a stepper-motor controlled peristaltic pump controller to automatically mix nutrient reservoirs

  6. 202535 milestones

    1. Jan

      Commenced R&D for flower to be transported, packed, and verified in a GMP facility

    2. Jan

      NZMCC Working Group participant, providing feedback from growers as NZMCC looks to broaden membership

    3. Jan

      Integrated Teros12 Substrate sensor into automation system, added to Cultivation SOPs

    4. Feb

      Improved GRACe Portal, monthly reporting down to a 20 second task

    5. Mar

      Created Medicinal Cannabis Advertising interactive game

    6. Mar

      Custom PCB: Solid State Relay controller designed, prototyped and implemented into production at multiple facilities

    7. Mar

      Published patient information around Drug Driving laws

    8. Mar

      Speaker at Spirit Festival on Medicinal Cannabis

    9. Apr

      Firmware development for Auto Batch Doser

    10. Apr

      Published "We probably don't want Rec" comparing the proposed legislation to the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme and why Rec would be a step back

    11. Apr

      Commenced SOPs v3, now 3x separate documents including a built-out guide with specific details for equipment, room design etc

    12. May

      Sponsored Harvest Fest

    13. Jun

      Became Board Member of New Zealand Medicinal Cannabis Council

    14. Jun

      Custom PCB: Solid State Relay v2, now smaller and more affordable for growers to manufacture

    15. Jun

      3x batch CoAs obtained with +/- deviation of 2% (relative) as part of GMP packing

    16. Jul

      Custom PCB: Auto Batch Doser now in production in multiple facilities after firmware completion

    17. Jul

      Submitted NZMQS verification request for flower

    18. Jul

      NZMCC vote unanimously to broaden membership base after working group findings

    19. Jul

      Certified "New Zealand Made" comes through for White Sherb

    20. Jul

      First production batch of flower for NZMQS verification delivered using processes to GMP certified facility

    21. Jul

      3rd Cultivators Catch-Up event organized by Chill Division

    22. Aug

      Major update to SOPs around safety for staff, provided free to all using our SOPs

    23. Aug

      6th Cultivation License obtained using our SOPs so far in 2025 alone

    24. Aug

      AI integration into cultivation automation system

    25. Aug

      First expert witness testimony submitted to courts

    26. Sep

      Custom Auto Batch Dosing system now implemented in production across multiple facilities

    27. Oct

      Guest speaker at Cannaposium

    28. Oct

      NZMCC Industry day volunteer

    29. Nov

      Custom PCB: 0-10v LED controller board for Undercanopy lights etc

    30. Nov

      Regulatory body confirms our explanation of Athena IPW acceptable, first ever use in NZMQS / Aus exports

    31. Nov

      3rd substrate sensor confirmed integrated, choices for rockwool/coco coir, R&D fitout sheet updated

    32. Dec

      First coco coir commercial run with netbows commenced at Pause Labs

    33. Dec

      First Chill Division product to be NZMQS verified from Pause Labs. No other cultivator has brought product to market 100% domestically without being fully vertically integrated until now!

    34. Dec

      First medicinal cannabis label in NZ to name both the region and the cultivation facility, approved by the Agency after process validation with the manufacturer

    35. Dec

      8th Cultivator licensed for the year of 2025, with Chill Division being involved in over 50% of all new licenses for the year used

  7. 202624 milestones

    1. Jan

      First Manufacturing site audit for a consulting client

    2. Jan

      Filmed for an upcoming documentary by Te Muri Film

    3. Feb

      First batches of verified flower dispatched to clinics and pharmacies from our Supply site

    4. Feb

      4th Cultivators Catch-up event for licensed growers

    5. Feb

      Attended United in Compassion 2026 in Brisbane, sponsored by Dome Group

    6. Mar

      Custom PCB: Auto Batch Doser v2 completed, now 6 pumps so a full Athena or Front Row lineup runs without swapping bottles; files published for others to fabricate

    7. Mar

      Speaker in the green zone at Morphfest

    8. May

      Hemp regulation overhaul announced; our Hemp explainer page published within the week

    9. May

      Featured by Buy NZ Made; NZ Made certification renewed for a second year in July

    10. May

      Acquired a CoA'd high-CBD, sub-1% THC keeper cut from Aoroa Cannabis for hemp supply

    11. May

      First person to notify Police in person under the new hemp regulations, and delivered the first hemp clone to a newly-authorised recipient on Hemp Liberation Day (28 May) at the Cannabis Museum

    12. Jun

      Major GRACe Portal release (0.17): overhauled UI, dashboard with reporting and licence expiry reminders, one-tap report emails, smarter shipping manifests

    13. Jun

      Finalist in two categories at the Cannabiz Awards 2026 (Best Use of Technology; Start-up / Launch of the Year)

    14. Jul

      Construction of a new facility for drying and triaging flower from other growers

    15. Jul

      Rewrite of SOPs, version 3 drafted, with implementation guides, search and mobile layout, ahead of publishing them free to everyone

    16. Jul

      Presented at the NZ Grow Co cultivators meet-up on starting small and losing a crop post-harvest

    17. Aug

      Now over 2/3rds of all licensed facilities are running the system we pioneered with Home Assistant for automation / monitoring, or the GRACe Regulatory Compliance Portal

    18. Sep

      First free hemp clone round, CoA-backed CBG Force cuttings, all ten spots claimed within days and couriered nationwide

    19. Sep

      Field Notes launched for longer-form writing on regulation and cultivation

    20. Sep

      First Hemp clones given out for free at Karangahape Farmers Market

    21. Sep

      New SHT45 high accuracy Humidity + VPD sensor developed and shared with cultivators

    22. Sep

      Interviewed by NewstalkZB for segment on cannabis / hemp

    23. Oct

      Published v1 open source release of PHASE Controller App for Home Assistant Crop Steering

    24. Oct

      Published first freely available SOPs for licensed cultivation facilities, which had been reviewed by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency

This timeline highlights some of our biggest milestones, but it's not an exhaustive list. We've also been busy advocating for decriminalization and helping many other clients navigate the cannabis industry. We'll keep this page periodically updated with our latest achievements, publications, and events.

Want to work with us?

From licensing and SOPs to automation and compliance, get in touch and we'll go from there.

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