New Zealand seeks market share in Brazil's medicinal cannabis sector

New Zealand could expand its participation in the international medicinal cannabis supply chain serving Brazil in light of anticipated changes to United States hemp legislation. This assessment comes from Fernando Wörner, General Management at NAATIVV Bioscience, which works to bridge companies, regulators, and markets across New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil.

The discussion comes at a time of shifts in U.S. federal rules defining hemp. U.S. legislation provides that, starting in November 2026, the federal definition will no longer cover certain finished products with more than 0.4 mg of total THC per container. The change also excludes from the definition of hemp certain cannabinoids that do not occur naturally in the plant or that are synthesized or manufactured outside of it.

According to Wörner, the change may prompt companies that rely on the U.S. market to review formulations, suppliers, and supply chains. In his view, part of this movement could favor countries where medicinal cannabis is structured under pharmaceutical standards.

In this context, New Zealand emerges as a diversification opportunity for Brazilian companies. The country has a medicinal cannabis supply chain subject to quality requirements established by the Ministry of Health, including controls over microbiological contaminants, pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, stability, and active ingredient concentration.

Pharmaceutical standards

According to Wörner, New Zealand combines a well-established foundation in agriculture, horticulture, agritech, and research and development—strengths that were also leveraged in building the local medicinal cannabis industry.

The New Zealand minimum quality standard applies to cannabis-derived ingredients and medicinal products intended for import and domestic supply. For products in dosage form, active ingredients must be within 90% to 110% of the declared content. For dried products, the established range is 80% to 120%.

The system also requires testing for various types of contaminants and mandates stability studies in accordance with applicable ICH guidelines.

The executive also highlights the variety of products available in the country. The official list from the New Zealand Ministry of Health includes CBD formulations, combined CBD and THC products, oral solutions, and dried flower with THC concentrations exceeding 20%. For instance, there are registered products with 25% and 29% THC by weight, as well as balanced THC:CBD formulations.

For Wörner, this diversity can be relevant to the Brazilian market, particularly given the various regulatory pathways available in the country.

CBD, THC, and regulatory classification

In New Zealand, classifying a product as a CBD product does not depend solely on its trade name. According to the New Zealand Ministry of Health, THC and other specified substances cannot account for more than 2% of the total CBD, THC, and other substances considered under this definition. The calculation must be supported by a Certificate of Analysis from the supplier.

Products that do not meet this criterion are classified as controlled drugs and are subject to the corresponding regulations.

Wörner emphasizes that terms such as “full spectrum” and “broad spectrum” are essentially commercial. In regulatory assessments, what matters is the product’s actual composition and the concentration of its cannabinoids.

The executive also points to a recent change in the concept of hemp itself. Since May 28, 2026, New Zealand regulations have defined hemp as the cannabis plant or fruit with a THC content of up to 1% of dry weight, in addition to establishing new rules for cultivation, trade, and import/export.

However, the reform maintains specific import and export requirements, which remain subject to licensing.

Growing exports

New Zealand's export capacity has also been expanding. According to the New Zealand government, the export volume of medicinal cannabis flower rose from 49 kg in 2021 to 2,310.3 kg in 2025. The average processing time for export licenses also dropped from 22.5 business days in 2022/2023 to 6.4 business days in 2025/2026.

The government also stated that it is working to modernize the licensing process and is evaluating the possibility of longer-duration export licenses, reducing procedures for successive shipments.

For Wörner, this export orientation is vital because New Zealand's domestic market is relatively small. According to him, the local industry was developed with the need for international market access in mind.

“It's not a race to produce the cheapest commodity, because there is a cost associated with pharmaceutical standards,” he says. At the same time, according to the executive, prices have become increasingly competitive.

Connection with the Brazilian market

Currently, there is no specific bilateral agreement between Brazil and New Zealand focused on medicinal cannabis. However, Wörner notes that engagement is underway among regulatory officials, companies, and foreign trade agents from both countries.

For individual patient imports, the executive cites the structuring of supply chains under RDC 660. Meanwhile, for products governed by RDC 1.015/2026, the relationship requires closer integration between foreign manufacturers and Brazilian companies, encompassing documentation, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements, specifications, and stability studies.

RDC 1.015/2026 updated the Brazilian regulatory framework for the manufacture and import of cannabis products for human medicinal use and came into effect on May 4, 2026, according to Anvisa.

In Wörner's assessment, New Zealand's regulatory track record could reduce some of the adaptations needed for companies eyeing the Brazilian market, though each product must still comply with the requirements of its respective regulatory pathway.

“The New Zealand industry is inherently built within a pharmaceutical environment,” he says.

Supplier diversification

For the executive, the changes in the United States bring supplier diversification to the forefront for companies operating with medicinal cannabis in Brazil. New Zealand and Australia are pointed out by him as viable alternatives for this diversification.

Wörner says he has been working for several years to connect producers and manufacturers from these markets with Brazilian companies. According to him, the strategy covers both finished products as well as botanical ingredients and raw materials.

The movement is also supported by New Zealand's foreign trade ecosystem, which, according to the executive, has been paying increasing attention to Brazil as a prospective market. Historically, Wörner notes, New Zealand companies focused a significant share of their commercial efforts on Australia and European markets.

The shift in U.S. rules remains subject to the United States legislative landscape. Under the currently projected federal legislation, the new hemp definition will take effect in November 2026.

For Wörner, the discussion provides room for Brazilian companies to proactively evaluate different suppliers and import structures. “Today we already have the capacity, products, and partners to build these new chains,” he affirms.

In this scenario, New Zealand is presented by the executive as a viable bridge between international producers and Brazilian companies seeking to broaden their supply of medicinal cannabis products and ingredients.

Read more about regulation, the international market, and medicinal cannabis on Portal Sechat.