New Zealand’s Rubisco has outgrown its current digs in Burnside, Christchurch for processing hemp and is moving into a larger purpose-built facility in Ashburton.
Rubsico was established in 2024 and manufactures products made from hemp, wool, and other natural materials. Demand for the company’s hemp processing services, which separate the bast fibre from the woody hurd in a process called decortication, have now outgrown the capacity of its original facility.
With relocation of the decortication line, the firm will be closer to its primary hemp fibre supply base. This will streamline its supply chain and reduce transportation emissions, while allowing further value-add processing expansion at the Burnside facility.
“With the strength of our local supplier network and rising demand for hemp products, the new facility will position Rubisco to scale up production and continue to innovate,” said Rubisco CEO Guy Wills. “We anticipate that the Ashburton facility will be fully operational by early 2026, marking a new chapter in Rubisco’s mission to deliver sustainable solutions to global markets.”
Among the value-added products from Rubisco is its FuturFiber hemp–wool geotextiles, a natural fibre erosion control and weed suppression matting product that is the first to hold a GreenTag EPD. FuturFiber is carbon negative in that it sequesters more carbon than it emits, locking away -1.4 kg of CO₂ during production and biodegrading at its end of life according to the firm; returning nutrients to the soil.
While Rubisco has been busy, the bigger picture for industrial hemp in New Zealand isn’t particularly impressive, with the amount of land cultivated for hemp and licenses issued dropping in recent years. In February this year, New Zealand’s Minister for Regulation, David Seymour, announced a review of “outdated and burdensome” regulations that are holding the local industry back.
“This over-regulation stifles economic growth and innovation within the sector,” said Minister Seymour at the time.
At that point, the Minister intended tabling reform options to Cabinet late this year, so around now.
While by legal definition hemp only contains traces of the intoxicating cannabinoid THC, industrial hemp is currently classified as a Class C controlled drug under New Zealand’s Misuse Of Drugs Act.
Related: Learn how hemp fibre is produced.
