Case Study: New Zealand Hemp Industries Association achieves 31 ground-breaking innovations in under 8 hours with HYPE Innovation

How New Zealand’s First Nationwide Hemp Ideation Challenge Resulted in 31 Ground-breaking Innovations Never Previously Envisioned

The New Zealand Hemp Industries Association (NZHIA), together with Webtools Agritech, launched the country’s first hemp ideation challenge to rapidly collaborate with industry partners and uncover white‑space opportunities for hemp products, processes and uses. Facing an industry ripe for disruption and a short time frame to identify high‑impact ideas, they needed a way to scale creative input across diverse stakeholders.

They used Planbox’s Discovery Central to combine collective creativity with AI and cognitive analytics in a blended virtual/in‑person event. In under eight hours participants generated 391 ideas, 31 of which were identified as ground‑breaking—top concepts included hemp nappies, protein‑rich dog treats and a “red zone” hemp revitalization project to build eco‑friendly shelters—some of which received cash prizes.

New Zealand Hemp Industries Association

Richard Barge

Chairperson