Northland medicinal cannabis hoping to boost local economy

A medicinal cannabis company is fast-tracking building its outdoor facility in Northland after securing $5m in funding from a local private investor.

The Organic Genetics team visited Kaitāia this week to view a site that
is being tested for its soil quality, which will be the first commercial medicinal cannabis growing facility in the region.

The new funds have boosted the company’s timeline and once the outdoor facility is complete it will then take only six months from seeding for the first outdoor crop to be harvested.

Organic Genetics co-founder Holly Wright said the facility will result in new jobs for locals through the construction and ongoing planting and harvesting phases.

Wright (Ngāti Kurī-Te Hapua) grew up in Hūkerenui and is the first female co-founder of a New Zealand medicinal cannabis company.

“I grew up in Northland so it means a lot to start our growth up there, and that through our work we can support the region and its local businesses. It’s always been our plan to give back to the community…” Wright said.

Wright and her husband Paul Lee launched Organic Genetics in 2019 with a vision to provide Kiwis with a natural alternative to opioids.

New Zealand’s Medicinal Cannabis Scheme came into effect on April 1, 2020, with the start of the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019.

“What it means for New Zealand is as soon as there are more products, it means more competition and it will help bring those prices down, which is what patients really want to see,” Wright said.

Wright said a lot of Northlanders already have experience in general horticulture and agriculture and they want to utilise that.

“I think the medicinal cannabis industry can be really awesome industry for Northlanders to get into. A lot of workers out there are already quite heavy on how to grow and cultivate because we have some beautiful fruits and vegetables that are all grown up North.

Wright said she particularly hoped to hire young Northlanders in the future after knowing how hard it can be to find work opportunities.

“It just can be such a cool industry because it’s so new. It’s so exciting and with it comes many different jobs. You’ve got like the growing side, the scientific side, the admin side, of course, the building of the actual greenhouses.”

The company is backed by a number of global partners including Originals California and Kind Future founder Jonathan “JJ” Jones.

“The climate (in the Far North) is also pretty ideal from what we’ve seen so far. Which makes it a great opportunity for you know, the local community plus the quality of the product.”

Jones said ideally New Zealanders would be able to purchase Northland-grown medicinal cannabis within the next year, but the first cycle of the harvest still needs to be assessed.

“There’s a lot of people within the space who look to just make money and not do good but we think through community, not only can we make an impact on the local community, but also make money at the same time.”

In 2020 the New Zealand cannabis referendum on the question of whether to legalise the sale, use, possession and production of recreational cannabis was narrowly rejected by New Zealand voters.

“We’ve been to a lot of markets around the world, and we share the same sentiment that, while we’ve been here, socially (cannabis) seems a lot more acceptable than we’ve seen in other markets and that, that vote seems like it was narrowly missed,” Jones said.