OUR KAUPAPA
NEW ZEALAND'S HIGH-GRADE HEMP SPECIALISTS - SINCE 1996.
We promote hemp for it's eco-friendly properties and wide variety of uses. We believe in your freedom of choice. We support drug law reform and harm reduction, and are against animal testing. The Hempstore is now on K Road - with our instore cafe serving DKD Espresso and a selection of fresh hemp foods.
The Hemp Store Aotearoa was founded in 1996 by Chris Fowlie, Nandor Tanczos and Mike Finlayson, all long-time cannabis law reform advocates.
Our first store was upstairs at 60 Queen St. Four years later we moved downstairs in the same building. For a while we had a second store on Cuba Street in Wellington. Then in 2004 we moved to 29 Victoria Street East, next to Albert Park, where we remained until 2015 when we moved to our current location, 253 Karangahape Road.
We aim to provide premium quality hemp products to a wide range of customers, and spearhead an environmentally sustainable and economically sound hemp industry in New Zealand.
The focus of The Hemp Store is social ecology - a philosophy that states that how we treat people is intrinsically linked to how we treat the environment, and vice versa.
Social Ecology brings together concerns about global environmental degradation and questions of social justice and exploitation. The Hemp Store has been established to take concrete steps towards increasing the well-being of the planet and its people.
THE PLANET
The Hemp Store is committed to restoring ecological balance through reducing the unsustainable use of natural resources, through developing renewable alternatives, through developing environmentally and economically sustainable production and processing technologies, and through facilitating bioregional development in the Pacific region.
THE PEOPLE
The Hemp Store seeks to increase local and individual autonomy by increasing people's access to information and choices, by establishing and promoting co-operative work structures, by helping to regenerate rural economies, and by supporting the take of just causes.
SOCIAL ACTIVISM AND ETHICAL TRADING
Putting these words into action, The Hempstore has supported cannabis and hemp law reform efforts by hosting the offices for NORML, performing the admin work for NORML, offering legal help and support for victims of cannabis prohibition, sponsoring J Day every year, and providing grants and sponsorship to drug law reform projects.
We focus on reducing harm to consumers and our products are intended to do this or we won't stock them. We lead the market and innovate with new products - we were the first to bring Vaporisers to New Zealand, the first to bring Grinders, the first to stock natural highs as an alternative to illicit party drugs, and the first to supply ecstasy testing kits and drug testing solutions.
We only use suppliers who are environmentally friendly and operate fair working practices and conditions. We reduce our use of packaging, reuse wherever possible, and recycle as much as we can. You may see some recycled office waste in your web orders. Our electricity supply is 100% renewable. We are 100% New Zealand owned and operated.
AWARDS:
2021 Westpac Business Awards Finalist - Community Contribution
2012 Top Shop Awards Finalist - Sustainability
2010 Top Shop Awards 1st Runner Up - Specialty Store
2010 Top Shop Awards Runner Up - Sustainable Retailing
2008 Top Shop Awards Finalist - Specialty Store
MEMBERSHIPS:
New Zealand Hemp Industries Association
Auckland Chamber of Commerce
K Road Business Association
THE FIRST NZ-GROWN CANNABIS PRODUCT
The first cannabis product to be licensed as "NZ Grown" was the Kiwicanna hemp range, made from hemp seeds grown in Canterbury, New Zealand. The Buy NZ Made licence number was 806490, issued in 2019.