Local Resident Creates Sustainable Food Forest in Te Puke

Te Puke resident Kris Edington believes the Bay of Plenty's food-growing potential is massively underestimated by locals. On his 3.2-hectare property, Edington has created a food forest using principles of syntrophic agroforestry, a sustainable system that now produces much of his family's nutritional needs in a nutrient-dense, healthy way.

Edington's journey began in the 1990s with a passion for healing the human body and soil as a trained naturopath and herbalist. After living in Queensland and visiting Brazil—the birthplace of syntrophic agroforestry—he returned to New Zealand in 2007 and eventually settled in Te Puke over three years ago. What started with just three edible plants has transformed into hundreds of varieties, including medicinal species and Brazilian fruits such as cheramoyas, dragon fruit, and jabuticaba.

The food forest demonstrates that a well-designed system becomes relatively low-maintenance after initial installation. Edington emphasizes that proper planning and installation are crucial to success, and he advocates for changing mindsets about food production. He believes that when people understand the connection between soil health and nutritional value, they'll recognize the beauty in regenerative growing systems.

Originally published in Te Puke News by Sun Media.