TaiTokerau Hemp: The Vision

As of September 2026, TaiTokerau Hemp is being launched as a service provider and connector in the fledgling Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) hemp industry. Hemp has an enormous variety of uses, from food and health products to textiles and fibre, to construction and green building. TaiTokerau Hemp supports growers of hemp for all purposes, with an initial priority on eco-friendly building applications.

In Te Tai Tokerau, there is a shortage of smaller, low-cost, and rural homes. This is because market conditions mean that the cost of these builds, when using mainstream materials and methods, is too high. Hempcrete offers an alternative model that will bring costs down and serve this need while creating local employment.

The Basics: What is Hempcrete?

Hempcrete is a natural wall material made by mixing woody hemp core (hurd) with a lime binder and water. It replaces synthetic insulation, plasterboard, and plastic wraps with a single breathable layer that naturally regulates indoor humidity, eliminates mould, and dramatically cuts heating costs.

Getting Real: The Challenges to Hemp Construction

Te Tai Tokerau’s housing shortage is a fact; but with sufficient investment into plant and equipment, skills training, and building code development, hempcrete has the potential to fill the gap. This can be seen in established markets in Europe and Asia. There’s nothing to stop builders from building with hempcrete right now, except that it’s expensive and risky for two main reasons:

• Shipping & Supply Costs: Hemp hurd is bulky and expensive to ship. It currently needs to be freighted in from other regions or imported, costing builders $4,000–$5,000 per tonne. With local growing and decortication (a mechanical process to separate the woody core from the outer fibres), the price would be much lower.

• Regulatory Compliance: To achieve code compliance, hempcrete wall assemblies must satisfy the performance requirements of the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC). Because hempcrete lacks a ready-made Acceptable Solution (E2/AS1) compliance pathway within the code, it is classified as an Alternative Solution, adding uncertainty, cost, and delay.

Both of these obstacles can be overcome with sufficient investment. The return on investment (ROI) is clear, provided enough people build with hemp. This is where investors see risk and are holding back. In order to attract the investment needed, investors need confidence that enough people recognise the substantial benefits of building with hemp, and would be willing to embrace this alternative building method.

If building with hempcrete is something that you have thought about or would consider, we’d love to hear from you! Every potential hempcrete house build shows investors that the demand is real.

Scaling Up For Future Demand

Industrial hemp is being grown on a small scale around Te Tai Tokerau in the coming growing season (October 2026 to February 2027). Decortication of these initial crops will need to be done outside the region (eg. Taranaki), which will add significant freight cost due to hemp hurd’s bulky nature. Alternatively, small-scale decorticators may be brought in as a short-term solution (and ongoing portable option); however, these are labour-intensive and yields are lower.

TaiTokerau Hemp works closely with Kōrikoriko Hemp Aotearoa, a fully Māori-owned company establishing Te Tai Tokerau’s first Hemp Processing Centre in 2028 to support growers and create healthy warm homes for whānau. With larger-scale processing facilities located close to where hemp is grown and housing is needed, the freight savings and local employment opportunities are significant, bringing down the cost of rural papakāinga builds.

Te Tai Tokerau’s housing needs statistics show a need for 150 smaller, rural homes per year over the next decade, representing $50 million in construction contracts per year (not including land purchases and siteworks), with 95% of it going to local growers, builders and contractors who will in turn spend locally. Because smaller and rural builds aren’t attractive to mainstream developers, the 150 hempcrete builds will be in addition to the current 700 to 900 mainstream residential dwellings consented in Te Tai Tokerau each year, creating local employment. Because of hemp’s natural moisture and temperature regulating properties, there is also demand for hemp in retrofitting damp, mouldy rentals throughout Te Tai Tokerau. This makes hemp hurd a highly-sought after commodity in our region, justifying investment from both a social and commercial perspective.

The above analysis only looks at hemp grown for housing purposes, which is just a fraction of the potential wider hemp industry, once textiles, food, and health products are considered. Looking further out, with the right regional leadership and investment, green fuels such as biodiesel, bioethanol and renewable natural gas will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels and open up the possibility of carbon-negative, decentralised electricity generation.

Why I Started TaiTokerau Hemp

Born and raised in Te Tai Tokerau, I’ve seen first-hand the impact of primary industries extracting value from our land, natural resources, and people, with the majority of the profits, and our talented young people, leaving the region. The hemp industry has immense potential to heal and uplift our people, environment, and economy, creating exciting career opportunities from fashion to engineering to healthcare, leaving Te Tai Tokerau a better place for the next generation; but only if it’s done in a sustainable way that keeps the majority of the money recirculating locally.

TaiTokerau Hemp is being set up to enable growers and small, local businesses to thrive by providing shared services, collective buying, and supply chain coordination. If you are considering becoming involved in the hemp industry in Te Tai Tokerau in any way, please get in touch!

Dave Hovell

Founder, TaiTokerau Hemp

“Ma te whakaaro nui ka hanga ai te whare, ma te matauranga hoki ka u ai.”