Wilderland Trust Organic Farm

Founded in 1964 on the Coromandel Peninsula, Wilderland Trust is an organic farm and sustainable living center rooted in self-reliance and whole education. Established by Dan and Edith Hansen as an anarchist, vegetarian community, it operates as a living classroom where everyone is both student and teacher, learning by doing through gardening, building, beekeeping, preserving, and “nimble living” - creating abundance with minimal expenditure. The community is drug- and alcohol-free to keep the space grounded and supportive for learning and living well together.

The trust stewards 64 hectares, with around 80% set aside for regenerating native bush. Kaitiakitanga guides their approach: minimize ecological footprint, keep biological systems diverse and productive, and build closed-loop relationships with the land, from using black wattle for building to harvesting estuary reeds for garden mulch.

Wilderland blends organic and regenerative methods, including syntropic agroforestry, hugelkultur beds, no-till soil care, and cover crops to rebuild soil life. The gardens produce a diverse spread of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and honey without synthetic inputs, and the property models off-grid permaculture systems such as solar power, greywater bio-filtration, and rainwater storage. Land-grown abundance is crafted into teas, herbs, honey, and skincare available through their roadside shop and local markets.

For the roadside retail space and handcrafted goods, visit the Wilderland Organics Shop.