Questions people ask us before they start.
If yours is not here, tell us about your project. The first call is 30 minutes and free.
Why work with us
We hold licences ourselves
We each run a licensed facility in Auckland. What we advise you to do, we have done under our own licences.
23 years of growing between us
Dylan has grown commercially indoors, in greenhouses, with light deprivation and outdoors. Ben designed, built and runs an indoor facility.
We have built the rooms we design
The layouts, equipment and controls in your design are ones we have used on our own crops, so we know how they perform.
A fixed price, agreed first
We quote before we start, and every extra is priced in writing before you need it.
We know what things should cost
Suppliers often charge cannabis businesses more for the same equipment. We buy direct from manufacturers Dylan has met in China, so we know the fair price.
Your team runs it when we leave
We teach each routine to the person who will do it. The job is finished when your team can run a full cycle without us.
The green tax
The green tax is what people in this industry call the extra a supplier or tradesperson adds once they hear the word cannabis. It is often the same bench, light or air conditioner a vegetable grower buys for less.
It is hard to spot if you have never bought the equipment before. This is how we keep it off your project.
- Dylan has been to China and built relationships with the manufacturers. We buy from them direct and ship everything in one container.
- We specify standard horticultural and commercial equipment, and we know what it should cost because we bought it for our own rooms.
- We fly to China to check your equipment at the factory before it ships, so nothing arrives wrong.
- We get several quotes for the trades and tell you when one is out of line.
- We supply the automation hardware at our cost.
Common questions
Why use you when I already know a good grower?
Most people who set up a medicinal cannabis facility start by partnering with the best grower they know. That is usually the best of a handful of people, and growing well at a small scale is a different job from running a licensed facility.
The problems show up later. Scaling up is hard, and so is getting the same result from every crop. Getting a single variety to market takes verification and several grows back to back. The facilities we have seen fail trusted the wrong people to make those early decisions.
We made expensive mistakes on our own grows as well. Knowing what we know now, we could have saved ourselves hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Why use you rather than doing it ourselves?
You can do it yourself. The cost is in the mistakes: a licence application sent back for more information, a room that cannot hold its climate, equipment bought at the cannabis mark-up, or a first crop that does not make money. We have made those mistakes on our own facilities and paid for them, so you do not have to.
How are you different from other consultants?
Many consultants have one way of doing things and recommend it to every client. We give you options. For each decision, such as the growing format, the lighting, the controller or the benches, we explain the choices, what each costs and what it means for your yield and your team, and you decide.
Do I need a licence before I talk to you?
No. Most people call us before they have one. On the first call we will tell you whether your site and budget can work and which licence route suits you.
How long does it take to get licensed?
It depends on how complete your application is and how long the Medicinal Cannabis Agency takes to assess it. We give you a realistic timeline for your project on the first call. We design the facility while the application is being assessed, so you do not lose that time.
What will it cost?
We quote a fixed price before we start, and every extra is priced in writing before you need it. Tell us about the project and we will send you a quote.
Can I do the licence application myself?
You can. The forms are public. What takes the time is the supporting material: the security plan, site drawings, procedures and record-keeping system, and then answering the Agency's questions. We have done all of it for our own licences.
What do I need before the first call?
It helps to have a site with a lease or title, a named responsible person and a floor plan. If you are missing some of these, call anyway and we will tell you what to sort out first.
Can you supply plants or genetics?
GrowRight cannot. Plant material can only move from one licence holder to another. Once you are licensed, Dylan's company, Haze Pharma, licenses genetics to other licence holders under its own agreement.
Do I need GMP to grow?
You do not need GMP to cultivate. If you want to make finished products, you need a separate Licence to Manufacture Medicines from Medsafe, and GMP applies to that. We write quality manuals and GMP documents for clients moving that way.
Do you only work on indoor facilities?
No. Dylan has grown commercially indoors, in greenhouses, with light deprivation and outdoors. Ben's facility is indoor. We will tell you which format suits your site and budget.
I already have a grower. Can you work with them?
Yes. Most of our operations work is coaching the grower you already have. We work alongside them through the first crop and hand over when your team can run a full cycle without us.
My facility is already running and has problems. Can you help?
Yes. We visit, measure the climate, irrigation and lighting, and fix what we find. The usual causes are equipment that is the wrong size and controls that are set up badly.
Who does the work?
We do. Ben prepares the licence documents, the design, the 3D model and the automation. Dylan does the site visits, the equipment sourcing and the grow troubleshooting. Surveyors, electricians and security installers are separate trades, and we brief and manage them.
Where are you based, and do you travel?
We are both in Auckland, and we travel to sites anywhere in New Zealand.
What happens after the facility is running?
You can keep us on for compliance support and for remote monitoring of the automation. Compliance support covers renewal and reporting dates, change notifications and updates to your procedures.
Can I buy cannabis from you?
No. We work with licence holders and applicants, and we do not sell or supply cannabis products. If you are a patient, please talk to a doctor.