How do you build a seaweed industry? One New Zealand harbour lines up the pieces
Naser Arda · Seaweed Economy
This week I have been asking how a seaweed industry gets built. Farms alone do not make one, and buyers alone do not either. An industry exists when growers and buyers can trade reliably, and that depends on the steps in between: drying, processing, a product someone wants, and a way to reach them. This month, a project in New Zealand put all of those steps in place at once.
What is happening in Akaroa Harbour
Wakame (undaria) is an invasive seaweed in Akaroa Harbour, on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury. In the week of 22 October 2026, Ōnuku Rūnanga began harvesting it as a food ingredient, with two partners:
Premium Seas built food-grade drying and handling equipment near Ōnuku Marae. Each harvest is dried at low heat close to where it is collected.
Ceres Organics, an established New Zealand food brand, turns the dried seaweed into flakes or powder and is developing an organically certified range.
The pilot runs through 2026 and 2027. The first product is expected on New Zealand shelves from February 2027, and the partners aim to export to Australia and Asia. Eight local jobs have been created so far, including young people from the marae trained to dive and harvest. The rūnanga chair says Ngāi Tahu holds the only control permit for this seaweed in the country. The project is part of the rūnanga's long-term plan for the harbour.
Why it matters
What stands out is that each link in the chain is there from the start: a permitted harvest, drying close to the harvest, a brand with shelf space and buyers, and a stated route to export. In most places, including British Columbia, these links are built one at a time, if at all, and a farm can be ready to sell before anyone is ready to buy.
What is not known yet
No prices, costs or volumes have been published. Whether the model lasts will depend on the questions every seaweed business faces: what harvesting costs, how much can be taken each year, whether quality stays consistent from batch to batch, and whether buyers come back. Reports also differ on how much wakame is in the harbour, so we have left that figure out.
Discussion question
What would it take to line up the links like this in BC: a permitted supply, drying close to the harvest, and a buyer with a brand, all at once?
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