Connect with growers
Start in the community group or on RootyToot — share what you're growing and learn from others in your region.
Most growers start with people. Our Facebook community group is where hundreds of members ask questions, share photos, and organise plant swaps. The Food Forests NZ page is the public face — events, project spotlights, and the kind of inspiration that keeps you planting through a wet winter.
When you want connection beyond a feed, RootyToot is the social network built for growers — document your food forest journey, discover local events, and stay in touch with people you've met in the field.
Plants come from Troppo.nz. Plan perennials with the free Orchard Planner and annual succession with Continuous Harvests. Sister community hub at foodforests.nz. Hands-on learning happens at Grow Te Puke. Regional kai systems connect through Kai Resilience. All stewarded by Vector Group Charitable Trust.
Source your plants
Browse subtropical and forest-layer species at Troppo.nz, chosen for conditions across warmer parts of NZ.
Visit a demonstration site
Walk a working food forest at Grow Te Puke before you commit to your own design.
Think at community scale
Explore how local kai networks fit together through Kai Resilience — food forests as one piece of resilient regional food.
Free growing tools
Orchard Planner — plant directory & harvest calendar
From the same Vector Group Charitable Trust ecosystem: 285+ species, 40-city climate zones, seasonal care, rongōā, permaculture, syntropic reference, and agroecology framework — built for Aotearoa.
Partner sites in detail
Each partner serves a distinct role — plants, people, place, and regional kai. Pick the one that matches your next step.
Troppo.nz
Your source for tropical and subtropical edible plants in New Zealand. From passion fruit to feijoas, banana varieties to subtropical fruit trees — find the species that thrive in warmer NZ climates. Many growers pair Troppo plants with hands-on learning at Grow Te Puke.
Explore tropical plants →Kai Resilience
Building regional food security through community-led initiatives, education, and local food system development. Food forests are one layer of that work — alongside the growers and shared knowledge in our community group.
Learn about kai resilience →Grow Te Puke
Transforming Te Puke into New Zealand's premier food forest demonstration site. Experience working forests, learn regenerative growing techniques, and connect with Bay of Plenty's edible ecosystem movement. Stay connected on RootyToot after your visit.
Visit Grow Te Puke →RootyToot
The social network for growers and regenerative communities. Connect with food foresters, share your garden journey, discover local events, and build ongoing relationships beyond Facebook — including the plants sourced from Troppo.
Join RootyToot network →Visit & learn · demonstration sites
See layered food forests in practice before you design your own — from Te Puke’s tropical urban forest to community orchards across the Bay of Plenty.
Troppo · tropical urban food forest
Te Puke town-scale syntropic forest — subtropical stacking, biomass cycles, and community kai on the ground.
Troppo.nz → Book a tourGrow Te Puke
Working demonstration orchards, crop swap, and kai resilience — practical abundance for every backyard.
Grow Te Puke →Food Forests NZ community
Facebook group and regional growers from Kaitaia to Invercargill — plant swaps, workshops, and shared knowledge.
Join the group →Regenos · regenerative ag
Interactive learning connecting syntropic practice with hands-on regenerative agriculture experiences.
Regenos.app →
Join us
Ready to grow?
Your food forest journey starts here
Join hundreds of growers across Aotearoa. Still have questions? Read the FAQ first.
Community
Share knowledge & seeds
Workshops
Events across NZ
Network
Plants, demos & tools