Biotech startup finds Cyclone Gabrielle refuge at Foodeast hub

Foodeast Haumako hosts both startup and commercial businesses. (Image Foodeast Haumako)

Mon, 15 Sep 2025

When Hawke's Bay technology hub Foodeast Haumako opened in July last year, startup biotech company Mara Bio was the first tenant, after Cyclone Gabrielle forced it to move.Mara Bio co-founder Steve Boggs said the company had been working out of the Eastern Institute of Technology’s viticulture labs.“They got taken out by Cyclone Gabrielle. We were knee deep in water," he said.The company built its own makeshift labs and office in Hastings, while the Foodeast campus was under construction. Boggs said Mara Bio&rsquo...

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