Food forest FAQ — growing in New Zealand

A food forest is a multi-layered edible ecosystem designed to mimic natural forests while producing food. It includes trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers that work together to create a self-sustaining, regenerative growing system — canopy, understory, shrubs, herbs, ground cover, roots, and climbers all occupying different niches.

Join our Facebook community group to connect with hundreds of growers across Aotearoa. Follow the Food Forests NZ page for daily inspiration, workshops, and events. For ongoing grower connections, RootyToot is where many members stay in touch long-term.

Troppo.nz stocks tropical and subtropical edible plants suited to New Zealand climates — passionfruit, feijoas, bananas, and subtropical fruit trees among many others. For hands-on learning about how to plant and layer them, visit the demonstration forests at Grow Te Puke.

Grow Te Puke operates demonstration food forests in the Bay of Plenty where you can walk a site, see layered design in practice, and learn regenerative growing techniques from experienced growers.

Kai Resilience works on regional food security and community-led kai networks across Aotearoa. Food forests are one piece of that wider picture — local production, shared knowledge, and resilient food systems at neighbourhood and regional scale. See how it fits in our network overview.

Food Forests NZ is the community front door; Kai Resilience is the charitable programme building regional food buffers; and Vector Group Charitable Trust stewards both. Growing food forests is whenua stewardship in practice — restoring soil, supporting native birds, and producing dependable local kai for whānau and communities.

Yes — the Orchard Planner is a free tool from the same trust ecosystem. It includes a plant directory (285+ species), harvest calendar, climate zones, rongōā reference, and agroecology framework — pair it with community learning at Grow Te Puke.