New Zealand’s Rua Bioscience has announced its first medical cannabis product for the Australian market based on NZ cannabis genetics.
The name of the dried flower product, Rua Rau Hiwa. ‘Rau’ refers to solar absorption by nature with roots tracing back to the people of the sun. ‘Hiwa’ refers to the growth of both people and plants.
“We are proud to offer Rua’s medicinal cannabis genetics, sourced from New Zealand’s legacy market to thousands of patients across Australia,” said Rua Chief Executive, Paul Naske. “Tairawhiti is home to ‘legacy’ genetics developed over generations – it is these unique cannabis strains that are grown and discovered at Rua’s facility in Mangaoporo.”
Australia is particularly attractive to Rua due to its proximity, relationships between the two nations and Australia being home to one of the world’s largest medicinal cannabis markets. Mr. Naske says the company has four distributors in Australia, with one covering 50% of the market; providing RUA product exposure to around 200,000 medicinal cannabis patients across the nation.
“By utilising multiple distribution channels, we can access different segments of the market, and our range also now caters to diverse patient needs and price points,” he says.
The company has established a foothold for supplying not only dried flower, but also full-spectrum oil products, into Australia.
Commenting on Rua Rau Hiwa in May prior to its unveiling, RUA Biosciences said the Australian market was saturated with imports from Canada, and its home-grown genetics will stand out as a differentiated product offering.
Mr. Naske says the legalising of medical cannabis in NZ has provided an opportunity for “back-door” expertise gained illicitly for more than half a century to be leveraged, with support from the company’s scientists.
At its cultivation site in Mangaoporo (pictured above), Rua produces research and variety discovery crops. The indoor research facility has 164m2 of indoor growing space; enough capacity to maintain hundreds of genetics ready for commercial cultivation. The facility also boasts a 4000m2 outdoor production and research space.
Rua Biosciences evolved out of Hikurangi Enterprises, the first company to be granted a license to cultivate medicinal cannabis in New Zealand. The firm was also among the first in the country to secure a licence for commercial cultivation and possession for manufacturing and supply of pharmaceutical cannabis.
Its first medicine, cannabidiol-based RUA CBD100, became available on prescription in New Zealand in 2022.
