 | NZ Hemp: Hemp Crop For Catlins |
 Otago Daily Times, Wed, 06 Feb 2002
By Glenn Conway
A one hectare hemp crop, for research and development purposes, is to be
planted in the Catlins later this year. Former Catlins residents and hemp
advocates Mac and Donna McIntosh are behind the project.
The crop will be planted on a 2ha block owned by the couple, just south of
Owaka, on the Tawanui road. Hemp cultivation has previously been banned in
New Zealand because of the plants relationship with cannabis. While it is a
member of the same family, it does not have the high levels of THC, a mind-
altering substance found in cannabis. The Government announced last April
it would allow hemp growing trials. "I've heard all the jokes about
cannabis and so on. We are here to promote it [hemp] for what it is and not
what some people perceive it as," Mr McIntosh said. Hemp seeds from Hungary
will be planted in September and harvested about this time next year. It
will be the only one of about 10 hemp crops in the country and the most
southern.
The closest other crop is in Geraldine, South Canterbury. The Catlins site
is thought to be one of the best hemp-growing areas in the country.
Its latitude means the seeds get the exact exposure to sunlight they need.
"The closer to the South Pole you get, the better it grows.
Down there at Tawanui is a lovely wee location," he said. The seeds used at
the Tawanui site take between 60 and 135 days to mature.
Harvesting of the first crop will take place about the same time as the
Catlins Woodstock music festival, held near the hemp site. He hoped to have
sample products and information about the useful qualities of hemp
available for those attending Woodstock next year. Mr McIntosh, who
describes himself as an industrial hemp consultant, is chairman of the New
Zealand Hemp Industry Association. He was the first New Zealand grower
given a licence. The couple owned a 160ha farm in the area but sold all but
the 2ha. They moved to Wellington where they spent the next 12 years
lobbying different governments to support the hemp industry in this
country. The Catlins crop could produce up to 9 tonnes of seed, which would
be sent to a Nelson manufacturer for use in various products. The
McIntoshes will live in a house next to the crop, which will be surrounded
by deer fences.
Security is an issue but not one the couple are getting too worried about.
"We can't deny it [hemp] is there but our security will be more about
letting people know it is here and what we are hoping to achieve." They
will monitor the crop's growth daily and post regular updates on the
Internet for other growers in New Zealand and overseas. Mr McIntosh will
also write a book on the first year of the crop.
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