New Hemp Regulations in Aotearoa New Zealand

Effective May 28th, 2026

Significant changes are coming to Hemp Regulations in New Zealand. The new framework dramatically simplifies the process for cultivation, possession, and manufacturing of Hemp and Hemp products.

Official Resources

For the most up-to-date and official information, please refer to the following Manatū Hauora and government links:

What's Now Legal?

Industrial Hemp is gone. The old framework and limitations have been removed.
Hemp licensing is gone, as are all the previous tracking requirements.
Hemp is now classified as any Cannabis Sativa L with a THC content of < 1% of the plant when dried.
This definition also applies to seeds and fruits from the plant.
ANYBODY can grow it, anywhere, provided they notify the NZ Police and MPI on an annual basis before starting.
Even people with prior convictions can legally cultivate and possess hemp.
Breeding Hemp varieties of plants with THC < 1% is also permitted with this legislative change.
Producing and manufacturing of Hemp Products is also fully permitted (though other legislation may also apply there).

What this means in-practice

"Anyone authorized" means anybody who has notified the Police and MPI. It's strictly a notification process, not asking for permission.
Selling / sending seeds in the mail is now fully legal within the country, provided the recipient is authorized to receive them.
Selling / sending clones in the mail is now fully legal within the country.
Importing carries additional requirements such as a Phytosanitary Certificate that meets the requirements of IHS 155.02.05 Seeds for Sowing.

Legal Precedents Not Yet Set

While the new regulations offer tremendous freedom, please be aware that certain legal precedents have not yet been established:

Delta-9 THC vs THCA	Legal precedents for Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol vs Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THCA) have not been set.
Delta-8 THC	Legal precedents for Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol have not been set.
Vegetative State Plants	Legal precedents for a vege'ing a high THC plant without the intention to flower (eg genetic library backup) have not been set.
Importing & Exporting	Importing / exporting MAY also require a Ministry of Justice criminal record check (this applies only for import/export, not domestic activity).

How to Notify the Police & MPI

Before you begin cultivating, you must notify the NZ Police and MPI. The notification must include the following information:

Identifying details of the person making the notification
The address and contact details of the notifying person.
Location information for the cultivation site (Only Police, not MPI):
- The address of the location.
- A plan or map, if the location is not easily identifiable using an address (such as large fields etc).
A description of the intended nature and scale of the cultivation.

Template Notification Email

You can use the following template as a starting point to notify MPI, with the Police being notified in-person at your local station. Be sure to fill in your specific details (or click here to auto-draft the email):

To: 
Subject: Annual Hemp Cultivation Notification - [Your Name]

To whom it may concern,

Please accept this email as my annual notification of my intent to cultivate Hemp, in accordance with the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Regulations 2026.

My Details:
- Full Name: [Your Name]
- Contact Number: [Your Phone Number]
- Residential Address: [Your Home Address]

Intended Nature and Scale of Cultivation:
- [e.g., Personal cultivation of up to 6 plants for seed and fiber / Small scale indoor cultivation for breeding]

Ngā mihi nui,
[Your Name]

NOTE: MPI have stated they do not require the cultivation address, only your own address as part of the contact details. Police however will require the cultivation address when you notify them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if they turn me down?

Well, they can't! Think of this more like a "professional courtesy", you're not asking permission, you're just advising them of what you're up to.

What if I decide not to grow? Are there down-sides to doing this?

Not really! It'll only take a few minutes of your time to do the notification, and if you decide not to do anything with it, or do for a few months and then no longer, you simply just don't notify Police + MPI again for subsequent years.

What are the costs involved in this?

None. There is no license anymore, the previous $500-odd fee is gone, and there are no requirements on security, tracking etc either. If Police have a reason to suspect your plants are over 1% THC, they can require it be tested and bill you for the cost, so don't give them a reason to. Get some known-safe genetics from a clone that has a CoA, and that'll help with certainty there too.

If it's high CBD is it safe then?

Sadly no. High CBD doesn't mean it's safely classified as Hemp. Hemp is now any Cannabis Sativa plant with under 1% THC. Most high CBD plants have more than 1% THC.

Growing a strain that is specifically under 1% THC is the easiest way to ensure your grow is legal.

Starting from a clone that has a CoA (Certificate of Analysis) is even better because you're getting a literal "clone" of the mother. Even if you don't grow it to the full extent of the genetic capabilities, it's still the safest starting point.

What about CBG or CBN levels?

Provided the level of THC in the plant is <1%, then if it's high CBN, CBG or whatever else, that's considered hemp now.

There's not a precedent yet set legally for Delta-8 THC or THC-A (which becomes THC) and we wouldn't recommend putting yourself on the line to find out the hard way. Stick within the confines of the law and you'll be fine. < 1% THC.

Sooooo I can grow hemp at home now?

Yup! Hemp can be grown at home (indoors / outdoors), at that spare room in your mechanics workshop, there's now no limit so it's all viable. You just have to tell the Police your location, MPI don't wanna know that. MPI mostly want your details so they can send you some info-booklets etc and make sure that if you're growing fields and fields of it that you're not pouring tons of pesticides etc.

What are good / valid reasons I can advise them?

Everything is valid. Research. Curiousity. Self-sufficiency. Had some spare space and thought "why not"? They're all valid reasons. You don't have to make anything up.

Isn't there a bunch of record-keeping requirements etc?

There was, but that was all part of the Misuse of Drugs (Industrial Hemp) Regulations 2006 (Section 49-54)

As part of the Ministers instruction to reduce administrative overhead, that also includes no further reporting. No records of materials in / out / failed to sow / seeds etc, nothing is needed any longer.

What are the Hemp testing requirements during cultivation?

None up-front during the grow, however Police can *require* you to have some done if they think you're suss, or if they have reason to believe that you're growing high-THC cannabis, not hemp.

Having a clone from a CoA'd plant will help if you're doing small-scale cultivation, and that's easier to obtain than importing seeds which still requires a LOT of additional paperwork. Clones also give a greater certainty about what the final output will be because it's a clone of the mother plant.

Historically ESR (Now Public Health and Forensive Science / PHF Science) or Hill Labs were able to be used for testing, and this will likely continue after the new legislation is introduced on May 28th 2026.

There's no legislatively defined testing criteria so this will be "open to interpretation" going forward and so anybody cultivating should be aware they may be stuck with a $600 -> $3000 testing bill depending on how this all shakes out. More details as they come through though...