Red-weed pickers in demand

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muncher
not for us
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OPOTIKINEWS
No. 43
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Red-weed
pickers in
demand
50c
Phone: 07 315 6106
Building symbolises opening hearts
DIANE McCARTHY
“Our Opotiki plant has undergone
a complete revamp and is now proA COMPANY making pharmaceuti- ducing high-grade pharmaceutical
cal grade agar in Opotiki from sea- agar.”
The group also opened a large
weed washed up on beaches has
recently employed 15 new staff plant processing seaweed in
members and hopes to double in Masterton earlier this year.
Mr Gradon said while the
size over the next year.
New Zealand Manuka Group Wairarapa plant used a mechanised
chief executive Karl Gradon said process to collect and process the
that with 24 people employed at the Pterocladia seaweed the agar was
Opotiki plant the company was now extracted from, this was because it
the biggest privately-held employer was in a very remote area.
“In an area like the
in Opotiki and it was
Our Opotiki East Coast, with a large
reaching out to the East
Coast community for plant has under- portion of the populahelp collecting more raw gone a complete tion living right by the
revamp and is beach, it made more
materials.
now
producing sense to have them harWith a global shortage of high-quality agar high-grade phar- vest it by hand and sell
– a seaweed-based gel- maceutical agar. it to us.”
He said the factory
ling agent – the New
KATH COOPEY
was prepared to pay
Zealand Manuka Group
about $3 per kilogram
has invested heavily in
for the dried product,
scientific resources, pharmaceutical grade facilities and mod- depending on factors such as the
ern production systems, positioning condition and quality of the proditself as world-class processor and uct and whether it was delivered or
needed collecting.
innovator of agar products.
Found washed up on rocks and
Originally an Awakeri-based
honey and manuka oil processing beaches along the east coast of
company, in 2011 it purchased the New Zealand, the distinctive red
old Coast Biologicals factory in Pterocladia seaweed is the raw
material that, when processed and
Opotiki.
“It’s all pretty exciting what’s dried, forms agar. With worldwide
going on here,” said Kath Coopey, demand far exceeding supply, the
technical adviser at NZ Manuka.
>Continued:
>
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‘
>HAMILTON
>
Diocese
Catholic Bishop Stephen
Lowe offered a prayer and
blessing before Trinity
Chapman, 5, cut the ribbon
to open the new milliondollar school building at
St Joseph’s School in Kelly
Street.
Prior to arriving in
Opotiki for the opening, the
Bishop said he had seen a
picture of the school shield
on the internet and its
motto – E noho i te roto i te
pono me te aroha – translated means “live in faith
and love”.
He told those gathered
for the opening the motto
was what the building was
all about.
He said the striking archway at the entrance, where
he held a prayer, pointed to
heaven, and the building’s
width symbolised children needing to open their
hearts to everyone.
“Every time you go into
your school that is what I
want you to remember,” he
told them.
Photo Ross McCullough OB1648-2
>Story
>
and photos: Page 4
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