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A Green Encounter: When Green and Wild Visited Troppo’s Urban Tropical Food Forest
It’s not every day that your passion project catches the attention of someone who shares your vision for a greener, more sustainable world. That’s exactly what happened when Bahareh from Green and Wild visited our Troppo urban tropical food forest and nursery in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty. The excitement of being featured on her channel still lingers, as does the inspiration from meeting someone whose dedication to showcasing beautiful gardens and hidden paradises across New Zealand mirrors our own commitment to sustainable food production and community resilience.
Bahareh’s visit to Troppo wasn’t just a casual tour; it was a meeting of minds passionate about transforming urban spaces into lush, productive landscapes that nourish both people and the planet. As she explored our food forest with her camera in hand, capturing the diverse collection of tropical fruits, rare plants, and innovative growing techniques, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in what we’ve accomplished as part of Vector Group Charitable Trust’s kai resilience and food security initiatives.
“Hi, I’m Bahareh! I take you on tours of stunning gardens and hidden paradises, sharing the stories behind their beauty. Let’s explore together!” This simple yet powerful introduction on her social media profiles perfectly encapsulates the essence of Green and Wild. Through her lens, gardens become more than just collections of plants—they become stories of passion, perseverance, and the profound connection between humans and nature. Having Troppo become part of that narrative is both an honor and an affirmation of our work in creating a living example of sustainable, community-focused growing.
As we walked through the layered ecosystem of our food forest, discussing everything from syntropic agroforestry to the joy of harvesting tropical fruits in New Zealand’s climate, it became clear that Bahareh’s visit was more than just content for her channel—it was an opportunity to amplify the message of food security and kai resilience that lies at the heart of what we do at Troppo and throughout the Bay of Plenty region.
The Troppo Experience: Food Security and Tropical Diversity
The Troppo urban tropical food forest stands as a testament to what’s possible when permaculture principles meet innovative growing techniques. Nestled in Te Puke, often known as New Zealand’s kiwifruit capital, our food forest has evolved into something far more diverse and ambitious. As an initiative of Vector Group Charitable Trust under their kai resilience and food security programs, Troppo demonstrates how urban spaces can be transformed into abundant, productive landscapes that support biodiversity while providing fresh, nutrient-rich food for the community.
What makes Troppo particularly special is our focus on tropical and rare plants that many wouldn’t expect to thrive in New Zealand. Our forest is home to a variety of exotic fruits including bananas, papayas, cherimoyas, guavas, and even cacao. These plants showcase the potential of subtropical and tropical cultivation in New Zealand’s microclimates, challenging conventional thinking about what can be grown locally. During her visit, Bahareh was particularly fascinated by our collection of rare and unusual plants, ranging from perennial vegetables to edible flowers and medicinal herbs that not only enhance food security but also highlight the rich diversity of plant life that can flourish in our region.
Drawing inspiration from natural forest structures, our food forest mimics the layered ecosystem of trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, and root crops. This design maximizes productivity while reducing maintenance needs, creating a self-sustaining environment that becomes more resilient over time. We’ve implemented various growing techniques from raised beds and syntropic agroforestry to hydroponic and greenhouse setups, providing visitors like Bahareh with insights into methods that can be adapted to different growing spaces and conditions.
Beyond being a showcase for tropical plants and innovative growing techniques, Troppo serves as a hub for community collaboration. We work closely with local groups to install raised garden beds, teach sustainable practices, and build kai resilience together. This community aspect resonated strongly with Bahareh, whose own work through Green and Wild emphasizes the human stories behind beautiful gardens and the connections they foster between people and nature.
Kai Resilience in the Bay of Plenty: A Growing Movement
The concept of kai resilience has taken root deeply in the Bay of Plenty region, with initiatives like Troppo forming part of a broader vision for food security and sustainability. At the heart of this movement is the Mana Kai Mana Ora initiative, which brings together sector experts to produce a comprehensive food security plan for the entire Western Bay of Plenty. Led by the Poutiri Charitable Trust, this ambitious project envisions that by 2030, Western Bay of Plenty communities will be kai secure and well-connected, ensuring all residents have access to fresh, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food regardless of circumstances.
During Bahareh’s visit, we discussed how food forests like Troppo represent a practical implementation of the principles outlined in the region’s food sovereignty plans. These living ecosystems demonstrate how communities can reduce dependence on imported produce, reconnect with the land, and build resilience against supply chain disruptions. In a world where food systems are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, economic fluctuations, and global crises, growing our own food has become more than just a hobby—it’s a crucial step toward community self-sufficiency.
The Western Bay of Plenty is witnessing an exciting expansion of food forests and feature gardens, with several new projects either underway or in planning stages. A proposal for a Kai Resilience-Based Community Food Forest in Te Puke was recently submitted to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council via the Te Puke Community Board, highlighting the growing recognition of food forests as valuable community assets. These initiatives are supported by a network of passionate individuals and organizations, including the Bay of Plenty Kai Resilience Network, which connects growers, educators, and food security advocates throughout the region.
What makes these emerging food forests particularly noteworthy is their emphasis on diversity—not just in plant species but in growing methods, community engagement approaches, and educational opportunities. Some focus on native plants and traditional Māori food cultivation practices, while others, like Troppo, specialize in demonstrating how tropical and exotic species can thrive in our local climate. This diversity strengthens the overall resilience of our regional food system, creating multiple pathways to food security that can adapt to changing conditions and needs.
Tropical Treasures: Rare Plants Thriving in Te Puke
One of the most captivating aspects of Troppo that drew Bahareh’s attention during her visit was our collection of rare and tropical plants that many wouldn’t expect to find flourishing in New Zealand. Walking through our food forest, her camera frequently paused to capture the unexpected sight of banana plants heavy with fruit, papaya trees reaching skyward, and the distinctive leaves of cacao plants—all thriving in our carefully created microclimate. These tropical treasures serve as living proof that with the right knowledge and techniques, we can expand our conception of what’s possible in local food production.
Among our rarest specimens are varieties of cherimoya, a delicious custard apple relative that produces creamy, sweet fruit with complex flavors reminiscent of banana, pineapple, and strawberry. We’ve also successfully cultivated several varieties of guava, including both the traditional tropical sweet guavas and the more temperate strawberry guavas that adapt particularly well to our climate. These aren’t merely curiosities; they represent practical additions to our local food system that can thrive with minimal inputs once established.
Beyond fruit-bearing plants, our collection includes rare medicinal herbs, unusual perennial vegetables, and edible flowers that add both beauty and nutrition to the food forest. Many of these plants serve multiple functions—attracting beneficial insects, improving soil health, providing natural medicine, and offering unique culinary ingredients. This multifunctionality is a core principle of permaculture design and contributes significantly to the resilience of our food forest ecosystem.
What particularly impressed Bahareh was how these exotic species are integrated with native plants and more familiar crops in a harmonious system that mimics natural forest structures. Rather than creating an artificial environment that requires constant maintenance and external inputs, we’ve designed Troppo to become increasingly self-sustaining over time. The layered canopy of taller fruit trees provides dappled shade for understory plants, while ground covers protect soil moisture and suppress weeds. This integrated approach demonstrates how exotic and native species can complement each other in resilient food systems.
Conclusion: Growing Together Through Shared Passion
Bahareh’s visit to Troppo was more than just a feature for her Green and Wild channel—it was a meaningful exchange between kindred spirits passionate about the transformative power of gardens and sustainable food systems. As her camera captured the lush diversity of our food forest, we shared stories, knowledge, and a mutual excitement for the future of food resilience in our communities. The passion and vision that Bahareh brings to her work resonated deeply with our mission at Troppo, creating an instant connection that transcended the typical visitor experience.
What makes Green and Wild such a valuable platform is Bahareh’s ability to see beyond the plants themselves to the human stories and ecological principles that give gardens their soul. Through her lens, viewers don’t just see beautiful landscapes; they gain insight into the philosophy, techniques, and dedication that create these living sanctuaries. Having Troppo featured on her channel offers an opportunity to share our approach to food security and tropical plant cultivation with a wider audience, potentially inspiring others to explore similar possibilities in their own communities.
The growing movement for kai resilience in the Bay of Plenty represents a hopeful vision for our future—one where communities reconnect with the sources of their food, where diverse and resilient food forests flourish in unexpected places, and where knowledge is freely shared across networks of passionate growers. As initiatives like Mana Kai Mana Ora continue to develop comprehensive food security plans for our region, practical examples like Troppo demonstrate what’s possible when vision meets action.
We’re immensely grateful to Bahareh for shining her light on our little corner of paradise and helping to spread the message of food security and ecological diversity. As both Green and Wild and Troppo continue to grow and evolve, we look forward to further collaboration and mutual inspiration. After all, the journey toward more resilient, abundant, and connected communities is one best traveled together, with cameras rolling, hands in the soil, and hearts open to the beauty and potential of our shared natural world.
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From Tropical Dreams to Lockdown Gardens: A Conversation with Steve Fawcett
We delve into the vibrant world of Steve Fawcett, a passionate gardener based in Te Puke, New Zealand, originally from Papua New Guinea. Through conversations with Bahare, an aspiring YouTube content creator focused on gardens, we uncover Steve’s journey, his innovative gardening techniques, the impact of Owen’s Papamoa Community Garden “The Rock”, COVID-19, and the driving force behind his lush and diverse urban oasis.
A Tropical Heart in a New Land
Steve’s connection to plants began in the tropics, growing up surrounded by an abundance of fruit. This early experience fueled his desire to recreate a similar environment in his “really little space” in New Zealand. Inspired by Owen, a local legend who created community gardens called “the rock” in Papa Mo, Steve adopted an ethos of creating something not just for himself, but also for others to share. Despite being camera shy, Steve’s knowledge and enthusiasm shine through as he guides Bahare through his remarkable garden.
Innovation in Small Spaces
Faced with bulldozed land and gravel instead of soil, Steve ingeniously utilized free kiwi fruit bins to create raised beds, each holding a meter of soil. This resourcefulness allowed him to cultivate a stunning diversity of plants, from common herbs like peppermint to rare specimens like the golden lotus. His approach emphasizes maximizing space with plants that offer both overstory and fruiting capabilities, such as bananas and Fijian figs.
Steve isn’t afraid to experiment and learn from his mistakes, acknowledging that he has “killed heaps of plants”. He highlights the common challenge of overwatering, admitting he was initially “over-caring” for his plants. Through trial and error, he’s found that sometimes the best approach is to let plants adapt. A prime example is his fruiting star fruit, which thrived only after being moved from a pot in a tunnel to an outdoor bin.
Unveiling Unique Cultivation Techniques
The conversations reveal Steve’s inventive propagation methods. He demonstrates air layering on a star fruit branch, a technique of removing the cambium layer and wrapping it in soil to encourage root growth and trigger early flowering. Drawing a parallel to the kiwi fruit industry, he explains the concept of ring barking or girdling to induce flowering and fruit production.
For multiplying bananas and pineapples quickly, Steve utilizes a “pif technique”, which involves chopping off pups and killing the main growing stem to force more pups. He also employs a rather daring method of drilling down the center of tequila agave and pineapples to destroy the main growth point and encourage the development of multiple new plants. His propagation efforts extend to a dedicated tent equipped with a sprinkler system for rooting cuttings.
A Garden of Rarities
Steve’s garden is a treasure trove of unique and often rare plants. He proudly showcases the Osmanthus fragrans f. aurantiacus, whose flowers are used to make a fragrant tea, and the silk frost tree with its massive spikes and spectacular pink blooms. Other intriguing plants include the ice cream bean, with its sweet, candy floss-like fruit; the juncia bird of paradise, currently bearing pregnant seed pods; and the sacred fig or Bodhi tree, revered in Buddhism as the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. He even grows the Mickey Mouse Plant – Xanthosoma atrovirens, a variegated plant with uniquely shaped leaves.
The Pandemic’s Green Thumb
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gardening is a recurring theme. Steve notes that since the lockdowns, it has been a “turning point for most gardeners,” with many people starting their gardens. Bahare echoes this sentiment, reflecting on the need for activities during confinement. Steve recounts personal stories of how the lockdown affected relationships, including his own. Despite the challenges, the pandemic seems to have fostered a greater appreciation for self-sufficiency and the therapeutic benefits of gardening.
Sharing and Community
Beyond his personal passion, Steve runs his gardening endeavors under a charity Vector Group Charitable Trust called Tropo. The name, originating from an island saying meaning “gone mad” often associated with the heat or too many tropical fruits, reflects his enthusiastic obsession with plants. The charity aims to support community gardens, promote kai (food) resilience, and work alongside others building food forests. Steve emphasizes the importance of sharing within the gardening community, describing an informal co-op where friends exchange fruits and vegetables.
Bahare’s Filming Journey
The conversations also provide insights into Bahare’s journey of creating garden-focused YouTube content. Inspired by the “living big in tiny houses” channel, she aims to showcase diverse gardens and motivate others to start their own. She candidly discusses the challenges of filming herself and the excitement of discovering unique gardens like Steve’s. Her interaction with Steve highlights the collaborative and inspiring nature of the gardening community.
Looking to the Future
As the conversations draw to a close, Steve shares his vision for the future, emphasizing self-sufficiency and encouraging others not to be afraid of gardening. Both Steve and Bahare express excitement about future projects and collaborations, highlighting the enduring appeal and importance of connecting with nature and sharing the joys of gardening. The rich exchange of knowledge, personal stories, and practical tips within these audio excerpts paints a vivid picture of the passion and dedication that fuels the gardening world.
