Hempseed Holdings

by Robbie Dellow
Hemp flourishing under cover

Hempseed Holdings Ltd is located in Tawanui Catlins Forest Park. South Otago. New Zealand. The company was formed in 1998 and NZHIA members were asked to become shareholders but did not occur at that time. It was then relinquished in the early 2000’s taken up by Richard Barge who returned it to Mack ( D J Mcintosh) in approx 2017.

The objective of Hempseed Holdings, is to create superior New Zealand Landrace Generic Ihemp cultivars and seed-stock that NZ growers and farmers could part-own through the company’s shareholding.

A.  This agreement relates to a company known as Hempseed Holdings Limited which was incorporated for the purposes of:

The cultivation, identification, promotion, distribution, and supply of hemp seed (in particular, the Aotearoa1 cultivars and sub-cultivars), to be carried out by the Company; and

  1. Developing and selling of hemp products, machinery, and including export potential of the A1 series of cultivars
  2. It was agreed to prevent bigger corporations and medical cannabis companies from buying shares in the Company. It is intended to be a grassroots company, providing a commercial pathway for farmers wanting to grow Aotearoa 1 varieties of Hemp and realise the potential of the cultivars
  3. Consultancy services within the hemp industry.
  4. Other hemp opportunities as they arise i.e. processing, et cetera.

B. The Company is focused on:

Promoting hemp and supporting the growth of the hemp industry in NZ.

Providing a pathway for farmers to grow hemp partnered with experience and knowledge.

Opportunities for growers to retain their own seed.

Our own unique NZ cultivar with strong export potential.

Originator and current Chair of HSH Ltd, Donald ‘Mack’ McIntosh, imported the majority of seed-stock for the Aotearoa NZ trials in 2001 -2002 ; he noted very early on by observation and analysis, the inferiority of much of these imports in terms of suitability to NZ growing conditions and farming practises . Thus after considerable time and dedicated work he was able to create cultivars that had little resemblance to the originals. His work involved much trial and error, documentation, attention to detail and the diligence to ensure no cross-contamination occurred. This work continues to this day.

Cultivars Produced

As a result of these years of hard work, Hempseed Holdings Ltd now has produced and owns five New Zealand approved cultivars, of the twenty in total. These have now been approved as Industrial Hemp (cannabis with less than 0.35% THC) by Medsafe – the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority :

  • Aotearoa1
    (tm) Dioecious – approved as an industrial hemp cultivar in 2008.

The base seed-stock for all our other subsequent cultivars. It is totally acclimated to New Zealand conditions and was first propagated near Napier and can, and is, being grown throughout New Zealand.

It is a dual purpose, being a seed and fibre crop, if required.

Aotearoa1 hemp cultivar in the field
  • A1 Monopurp
    – approved February 2019.

Named for the deep purple to black colour it takes on toward the end of the growing season. Originally mildly monoecious 5 years on very monoecious now ie MONO.

Like Aotearoa1, it is very hardy and disease resistant. Seeds et al but not FIBRE!

A1 Monopurp cultivar in the field
  • A1 HCFX
    – approved in September 2021.

This is deemed the super-cultivar that has been specifically bred for high quality hemp seed production.

A1 HCFX cultivar in the field
  • A1 Comseed
    – approved June 2020.

Commercial seed-stock for traditional broad acre seed farming and fibre production. High seed yield and single stalk no branching whatsoever. This latter and its short stature make it most useful for traditional farming methods. Cannabis Sativa – Dioecious A1 COMSEED ie Commercial seed-stock for broad acre farmers. Seed – Fibre production Suitable for traditional Broad acre Farmers it should be very useful in that it has single stalk only, low ie 1.2 m – 1.5 m at ie 20 –40 ppms, breeders location very heavy seeder Ideal for broad acre seed farming.

A1 Comseed cultivar in the field
  • A1 MacMono
    – approved June 2020.

Commercial seed-stock that is suitable for broad acre farmers, but has been selectively bred for the market garden regime of production.

A1 MacMono cultivar

Hempseed Holdings, through its decades of research, have become a world leader in the creation of high yielding cultivars, and thus has built up extensive intellectual property, enabling New Zealand hemp growers and farmers to lead.

https://www.hempseedholdingsnz.com/

Hempseed Holdings hemp plants growing under cover

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