Christchurch could be set to receive a hemp food eatery and emporium, as well as a plant-medicine shot bar and cannabis dispensary as a part of the boutique cannabis museum opening.
The museum, called Whakamana, the New Zealand Institute of Cannabis Education, Research and Development, is envisioned to be a larger version of the one currently in Dunedin. Founders Abe Gray and Michael Mayell want the restaurant’s cannabis range here to expand to as wide as possible—especially considering what the 2020 cannabis referendum could allow.
Gray and Mayell have said that they hope to provide a destination where cannabis in New Zealand can be explored innovatively. They believe that they are New Zealand’s first cannabis social enterprise.
The pair will be occupying the Trinity Congregational Church as well as the Shand Building, which they will use as both the museum during the day and as an interactive space at night. They are aiming to raise around $1 million to transform the Trinity building into a proper educational experience. This will be funded through a Pledge Me campaign, where shares in Whakamana will also be available.
