 | Hemp in NZ: Hemp Harvest 2003 |
 By Chris Fowlie
NORML News Autumn 2003
These plants may look like a good smoke, but they’re actually low-THC hemp grown right here in Aotearoa.
This harvest season brings with it the second crop of legal Kiwi cannabis. This year the government has issued about a dozen permits to grow industrial hemp, to organic and regular farmers, community groups and iwi.
Our intrepid Norml News team, somewhat dazed and confused from a weekend at the Womad festival in New Plymouth, made a stop at Atutahi - the “valley of the fish” - to check out some hempy goodness. We were pleasantly surprised by the “primo” condition of the Kompolti strain of hemp.
Looking out across the valley we could picture the old flax mill, and the railway that delivered the fibre from the surrounding areas. We could see the farmer who was milking the land owned by the fullas kept up on the hill. We could imagine the potential that hemp offers this area and her people.
“We’re spiritual people. We plant on the new moon and harvest on the full moon,” said Taane Nerai-Tuaupiki, who holds a “license to deal” and to grow seed and fibre. “As a licensed hemp grower, I see it as a huge potential to revolutionise the world. Potential for whanau, hapu, iwi, for the health of our people, our land and waterways.”
However, that potential is by no means assured. The hemp trials were approved for only two years, and that time is nearly up. The Inter-agency Working Group on hemp, comprising of members of the Ministry of Health, Police, Customs, MAF, Te Puni Kokiri, NZ Hemp Industries Association and Federated Farmers, will review the results and make a recommendations to the Primary Produce select committee in the first half of 2003. They will then make a decision on allowing commercial planting next year. As part of that process, they will also consider Nandor Tanczos’ bill to remove hemp from the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Norml wishes the best for all hemp trialists this year - and we hope to see even more next year.
Caption: Pictures, clockwise from below right: hempy heads; male flower, a simple fence; reaching for the sky and putting down roots; and remembering a different war when hemp was valued by Uncle Sam.
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