Waiapu Investments Ltd

Waiapu Investments Limited is an investment company created by charitable company Hikurangi Enterprises Limited to enable members of our community and supporters everywhere to have a real stake in the ventures Hikurangi Group is developing.

Developing a registered medicine from cannabis that is grown, processed and licensed in New Zealand is a top priority and Waiapu Investments decided this would be the first project to receive investor funds from Waiapu Investments.

The board of Waiapu Investments is appointed by Hikurangi Enterprises Ltd. The board currently comprises:

  • Panapa Ehau: Co-founder of Hikurangi Enterprises, Panapa grew up in Ruatoria and returned to the Coast five years ago with his young family after two decades of study, travel and business experience.
  • Sheryl Smail: Sheryl is a professional director, a chartered member of the Institute of Directors with broad governance experience, and has served on the boards of Tairāwhiti Polytechnic and EIT Tairāwhiti.

While Hikurangi Enterprises is the only shareholder with voting rights, the charitable company is offering most of the ownership in Waiapu Investments to East Coast residents and then the wider public via the PledgeMe equity crowdfunding platform.

Over 3,000 people registered interest in the opportunity to own shares in Waiapu Investments. The minimum investment was $50 for 50 shares and the PledgeMe share offer in May 2018 raised $2.4 million from nearly 1,500 investors from around New Zealand.

Most of the funds raised through the crowdfunding offer were used by Waiapu Investments to buy shares in Hikurangi Hemp Holdings Limited a joint venture with Hikurangi Bioactives Limited Partnership that established Hikurangi Cannabis Company Limited (now Rua Bioscience Limited) to produce medical cannabis products in New Zealand.

The board of Waiapu Investments is required to act in what they believe is the best interests of the company and have full authority to make decisions about how much, if any, funds to invest in specific ventures.

– – –

– – –