Food Forests New Zealand — growing abundance, restoring whenua, nourishing communities across Aotearoa
Aotearoa food forests

Food Forests NZ — plant roots, grow together, harvest abundance

Hundreds of Kiwi growers are turning backyards, marae gardens, and smallholdings into layered edible ecosystems. Food Forests NZ is where that movement finds its people — practical knowledge, real community, and paths to plants, demos, and regional kai work.

Join the community Why we grow this way
Subtropical papaya and banana plants in a lush layered food forest at Troppo's Food Forest in Te Puke
at Troppo's Food Forest in Te Puke
Hundreds of growers nationwide
North to south climate-specific advice
Four pillars plants, place, people, kai
Open door free to join & learn
Find your path

Where do you want to start?

Whether you're curious about permaculture, hunting for subtropical plants, or ready to visit a working demo site — these pages point you in the right direction without the overwhelm.

The movement

Why growers choose food forests

What makes this community different — tested NZ knowledge, working bees, seed shares, and design help for every scale of garden.

Read our story → Connected sites

Troppo, Te Puke & beyond

How partner initiatives fit together — from nursery stock to demonstration forests and the RootyToot growers network.

See the network → New here?

Questions answered

Food forest basics, joining the group, sourcing plants, and finding demo sites near you.

Browse FAQ → Free tools

Orchard Planner & Continuous Harvests

Plan perennials and annual succession — 285+ species, climate zones, rongōā, and a 105-crop planting calendar for NZ.

Open Orchard Planner →
Free VGCT tools

Plan, plant & play

Community conversation gets you started — these free Troppo tools help with perennials, understory crops, companions, and testing what you know. Sister hub also at foodforests.co.nz.

118+ plants

Companion planting matrix

Interactive grid — green for friends, red for foes. Filter by Three Sisters, nightshades, rongōā guilds & more.

Open Companion Matrix → 105+ crops

Continuous Harvests

Succession planting calendar with Gantt timeline and 11 NZ regions — ideal for kitchen gardens and understory.

Open calendar → 286 questions

Troppo Quiz

Test syntropic systems, soil, guilds & design — with a study hub linked to Orchard Planner and the wider network.

Open Troppo Quiz → Saved progress

Troppo grower games

Seed tray & guild slot — collect plants, earn spores, and grow a windowsill pot in your browser.

Play Troppo Games →
Growing abundance. Restoring whenua. Nourishing communities.
What you gain

More than a Facebook group

Food Forests NZ sits at the centre of a wider ecosystem — community conversation, plant sourcing, hands-on demos, and regional food resilience work.

Regional wisdom

Growers who've solved the same frost, wind, and clay problems you're facing in your patch of Aotearoa.

Hands-on help

Working bees, plant swaps, and design conversations — people who show up, not just post photos.

Land that heals

Soil regeneration, carbon capture, habitat for native species — growing food while restoring whenua.

Join the movement

Ready to put roots down?

Your food forest journey starts here

From a Wellington balcony to a Waikato block — you belong in this community. Follow along, ask questions, share wins, and connect with growers building resilient local kai across Aotearoa. Explore the partner network or read the FAQ first.

Share knowledge Swap seeds & plants Find local growers
Join the community Follow our page