A Guide To Hemp Laws In New Zealand

Yes, hemp is legal in NZ, but only if it fits the current hemp rules or another lawful product category. Since 28 May 2026, the main hemp framework sits in the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977, as amended by the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Regulations 2026.

The headline rule is now different from the old industrial hemp regime. Hemp is generally cannabis plant or fruit with THC content of not more than 1% of the dry weight of the plant, or seeds harvested from plants of that kind. Most domestic cultivation and dealing activities no longer require the old industrial hemp licence, but cultivators must notify New Zealand Police and the Ministry for Primary Industries before cultivation. Importing or exporting hemp still requires a licence.

That means hemp isn't the same as an ordinary crop or a free-for-all wellness ingredient. Hemp seeds, hemp seed oil, hemp protein, cosmetics and textiles can be lawful, but your legal position depends on the part of the plant used, THC and CBD content, cultivation notices, import or export permissions, food rules, and the claims you make on labels, websites and ads.

Is Hemp Legal In NZ?

Hemp is legal in New Zealand when it's handled within the current rules. For most business purposes, you're dealing with low-THC cannabis that meets the definition of hemp under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977.

The key point is that hemp is still legally connected to cannabis. You can't simply plant seed, import hemp products, extract cannabinoids, or sell hemp-based wellness products without checking which rules apply. A product can look harmless and still create regulatory issues if it uses the wrong part of the plant, contains too much THC or CBD, or makes therapeutic claims.

For a business, the practical answer is:

• Hemp plants can generally be cultivated domestically without the old industrial hemp licence, but cultivators must notify Police and MPI before cultivation.
• Domestic hemp activities, such as possession, processing, procurement, sale and supply of hemp for specified purposes, are now generally permitted if the material fits the hemp definition and other rules are met.
• Importing or exporting hemp still requires the relevant licence or permit under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977.
• Hemp seed foods, such as hulled hemp seeds, hemp seed oil and hemp protein, can generally be sold if they comply with food standards and cannabinoid limits.
• CBD products aren't ordinary retail hemp products in New Zealand. They're generally regulated as medicines or medicinal cannabis products.
• Marketing claims can change the risk profile of a product, especially if they suggest treatment, pain relief, anti-inflammatory effects, anxiety relief, sleep improvement or other health outcomes.

What Counts As Hemp In New Zealand?

In everyday language, hemp usually means cannabis grown for fibre, seed, food, skincare or industrial uses rather than for intoxication. Legally, you need to be more precise.

Under the current Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977, hemp is generally a cannabis plant or fruit with THC content of not more than 1% of the dry weight of the plant, or seeds harvested from plants of that kind. If plant material goes above that threshold, it can fall outside the hemp permissions and create serious regulatory issues.

The Regulations also recognise hemp products. In broad terms, a hemp product is a product made from or containing hemp, but that doesn't mean every hemp product is automatically lawful for every use. A hemp product may also need to comply with food, cosmetic, medicines, import, export, consumer law or advertising rules.

Hemp vs Cannabis: The Key Legal Difference

The difference isn't just branding. The law looks at things like:

• THC concentration, including whether the plant fits the 1% dry weight threshold for hemp.
• Which part of the plant is being used, such as seed, fibre, stalk, leaf, flower or resin.
• What you're doing, such as growing, storing, processing, extracting, importing, exporting or selling.
• What the product contains, including THC, CBD and other cannabinoids.
• What you say the product does in packaging, advertising, influencer content and website copy.

This is why two products that use the word hemp can be treated very differently. Hemp seed oil used as a food ingredient isn't the same as CBD oil. Hemp fibre fabric isn't the same as a flower extract. Hemp protein powder isn't the same as a gummy containing cannabinoids.

Do You Need A Licence To Grow Or Process Hemp?

For ordinary domestic hemp activities, the old general and research industrial hemp licence framework no longer applies. Since 28 May 2026, cultivation, possession, processing, procurement, sale and supply of hemp for specified purposes are generally permitted without the old industrial hemp licence, provided the material meets the current hemp definition and you comply with the Regulations.

The big practical change is notification. If you're cultivating hemp in New Zealand, you must notify New Zealand Police and the Ministry for Primary Industries before cultivation starts. This isn't just a formality. It's the core record that tells the authorities who is growing hemp, where it's being grown, and what the cultivation is for.

A cultivation notice will typically need to cover:

• Your legal name, contact details and, for a company or partnership, the relevant business details.
• The physical location of the cultivation site, including enough detail to identify the land or facility.
• The area to be cultivated and the intended cultivation period.
• The hemp variety or seed source, where known.
• The purpose of cultivation, such as seed, fibre, food ingredient supply, processing, research or another lawful hemp purpose.

A cultivation notification is generally valid for 3 years for the notified cultivation. If key details change, such as the grower, site, scale or purpose, you should check whether an updated notice is required before continuing.

Depending on your plans, you should still check permissions for each stage of the supply chain: seed purchase, planting, growing, testing, harvest, drying, storage, extraction, manufacture, distribution and export. Many businesses also find it useful to get clarity on broader licences and regulatory approvals that might sit alongside hemp-specific requirements.

When A Licence May Still Be Needed

A licence is still required to import or export hemp. This can include hemp seed, plant material or hemp products, depending on the item and the direction of trade. Border, biosecurity and product rules may also apply.

A different licensing pathway may apply if you're working with CBD, cannabis extracts, medicinal cannabis products, or products intended for therapeutic use. If you're looking at that space, a medicinal cannabis business model is very different from a general consumer goods model.

Compliance Records And Practical Controls

Hemp compliance is evidence-based. It isn't enough to assume your crop, ingredient or product is lawful. You need records that show it fits the current hemp definition and any product-specific rules.

Common controls include using verified seed sources, keeping copies of cultivation notifications, recording planting and harvest details, arranging crop or product testing where needed, keeping certificates of analysis and supplier warranties, maintaining food compliance records, and checking import or export licences before moving hemp across the border.

If you aren't growing hemp yourself, ask for certificates of analysis, batch numbers, country of origin, food-grade or cosmetic-grade confirmations, allergen information, and written warranties that the materials comply with New Zealand requirements. A properly drafted Supply Agreement can require your supplier to maintain compliance, provide testing documents, notify you of problems, and cooperate if there's a recall or regulator query.

Can You Sell Hemp Seeds, Hemp Oil And Hemp Gummies In NZ?

Yes, some hemp products can be sold in New Zealand, but the answer changes depending on the product.

Hemp Seeds And Hemp Seed Foods

Hemp seed foods are commonly sold in New Zealand. Examples include hulled hemp seeds, hemp seed oil for consumption, hemp flour and hemp protein powder. These products need to comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Food Regulations 2015, including rules about permitted hemp seed ingredients, maximum cannabinoid levels, labels, nutrition information, allergens and food safety.

This is separate from the 1% plant definition for hemp. Food products have product-specific limits expressed in mg/kg. For example, hemp seed oil, beverages made from hemp seed ingredients, and other hemp seed foods can have different maximum limits for total THC and CBD. Your supplier documents and lab reports matter because a plant may meet the hemp definition, but the finished food still has to meet the food thresholds.

Hemp Oil NZ: What The Label Should Mean

Hemp oil is a term that causes confusion. If you're selling hemp seed oil, make that clear. Hemp seed oil is usually pressed from hemp seeds and can be used in food or cosmetics if it meets the relevant standards.

If the oil is extracted from flowers, leaves or resin, or if it contains CBD, it isn't the same as ordinary hemp seed oil. It may fall into medicinal cannabis, controlled drug, medicines, import, prescribing or product quality rules.

Are Hemp Gummies Legal In NZ?

Hemp gummies can be lawful if they're simply a compliant food product using permitted hemp seed ingredients and they meet food labelling, safety and cannabinoid limits. For example, a protein snack gummy using hemp seed protein is a different proposition from a gummy marketed for sleep or stress relief.

CBD gummies aren't ordinary supermarket-style hemp foods in New Zealand. If a gummy contains CBD or is marketed for therapeutic effects, you're likely dealing with medicines and medicinal cannabis rules rather than a general food or wellness product.

What Claims Can You Make About Hemp Products?

Your product may be lawful, but your marketing can still create legal risk. This is one of the biggest traps for hemp businesses because customers are often searching for wellness benefits, and brands are tempted to make strong claims.

Under the Fair Trading Act 1986, you must not mislead customers or make unsubstantiated claims. Under food, medicines and advertising rules, some health and therapeutic claims are restricted or prohibited unless you meet specific requirements.

Low-risk wording usually focuses on ordinary product features, such as:

• Contains hemp seed oil.
• Plant-based protein.
• Source of omega fatty acids, if the nutrition information supports that claim.
• Moisturises dry skin, for a cosmetic where that's accurate.
• Made with New Zealand grown hemp, if that's true and documented.

Higher-risk wording includes claims that a product treats, relieves, prevents or manages a condition. Be careful with claims about eczema, arthritis, inflammation, pain, anxiety, sleep, depression, ADHD, cancer, immunity, hormonal balance or gut healing. Testimonials and influencer captions can also create risk because the claim is still being used to sell your product.

A useful internal test is: if the claim sounds like something a medicine would do, pause before publishing it.

What Other Laws Apply To Hemp Businesses?

Once you have checked hemp-specific rules, you still need the usual business law foundations. These often become more important as you start selling online, hiring staff, appointing contractors, using fulfilment partners, or approaching retailers.

If you sell to consumers, the Fair Trading Act 1986 and Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 apply. Your product descriptions, photos, delivery promises, refund wording, subscriptions, discounts and testimonials must be accurate. You can't contract out of consumer guarantees for ordinary consumer sales.

If you collect names, emails, addresses, order histories, health preferences, tracking data or payment-related information, the Privacy Act 2020 applies. Most online hemp businesses need a clear Privacy Policy, especially if they use email marketing, analytics, pixels, subscriptions or customer accounts.

If you hire staff, you need compliant employment agreements, wage and time records, leave processes under the Holidays Act 2003, and fair workplace systems under the Employment Relations Act 2000. A tailored Employment Contract can help set out duties, pay, confidentiality, IP ownership and termination processes.

Health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 also apply. Hemp operations can involve machinery, manual handling, drying, dust, chemicals, storage, vehicles and seasonal labour, so safety systems should be built before an incident occurs.

Hemp businesses can carry higher regulatory and supply chain risk than ordinary retail brands. A company registered with the Companies Office can help separate business risk, bring in co-founders or investors, and create clearer governance. If you're still deciding how to structure things, this business structure decision tool can help you compare common options.

How Do You Protect Your Hemp Brand And Supply Chain?

Once your product category is clear, focus on the legal documents that protect your brand, cash flow and relationships.

Trade Marks

Hemp branding can be competitive. Before you spend heavily on labels, packaging, social media, a website and retailer pitches, check whether your brand name is available and protectable. Registering a trade mark through IPONZ can help protect your name, logo and other key brand elements.

Website Terms And Subscription Terms

If you sell online, your terms should cover orders, payment, delivery, cancellations, returns, subscription renewals, account use, promotions and limits on liability where legally allowed. Generic templates often miss hemp-specific issues, such as product testing, claim controls, age-gating where relevant, and restrictions on resale or export.

Supplier, Manufacturer And Distribution Contracts

Your key contracts should clearly cover product specifications, testing obligations, compliance warranties, delivery and lead times, recalls and corrective action, IP ownership, and confidentiality. This is especially important where you share formulations, supplier lists, product names, photography or launch plans.

For example, if you're launching hemp protein powder, hemp seed oil skincare and hemp sleep gummies, each product may need a different legal pathway. The protein powder may proceed as a food if the label, nutrition panel, allergen information and cannabinoid levels comply. The skincare oil may proceed as a cosmetic if it avoids treatment claims and accurately lists ingredients. The sleep gummies are higher risk if they contain CBD or are marketed for sleep, because they won't be treated like ordinary hemp seed food.

Key Takeaways

• Hemp is legal in NZ, but regulated: the current hemp definition generally uses a 1% THC dry weight threshold for the plant, not the old 0.35% industrial hemp framing.
• The old domestic industrial hemp licence is gone: most domestic hemp cultivation and dealing activities are permitted, but cultivators must notify Police and MPI before cultivation.
• Importing and exporting still need licences: check border, biosecurity and product rules before moving hemp, seed or hemp products across the border.
• Food products have separate thresholds: hemp seed foods must meet the Food Regulations 2015 and food standards, including product-specific THC and CBD limits.
• CBD and therapeutic claims change the category: products containing CBD or marketed for health effects may fall into medicines or medicinal cannabis rules.
• Strong records and contracts reduce risk: keep testing, notices, supplier warranties, food compliance records and written commercial terms organised from the start.

If you'd like help with hemp compliance checks, supplier contracts, online terms and trade mark protection, you can reach us at 0800 002 184 or team@sprintlaw.co.nz for a free, no-obligations chat.