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About US
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Frida Keegan
I am a mother living with my family in a home nestled within a food forest in Northland, Aotearoa. I work as a Syntropic Agroforestry designer, educator, and practitioner with PermaDynamics, co-founded Sapp (the Syntropic Agroforestry & Permaculture Planner) am a columnist on Syntropic Agroforestry for On the Land magazine.
Rooted in a lifelong love of resilient growing systems, my inspiration for starting Tree Born began with the birth of my son and his innate connection and love for the earth. I believe if we can foster that early, reciprocal relationship with the land, the world continues to be magical and abundant.
I reflect these visions in my food forest consultancy guidance and creative work that celebrate the quiet moments connecting us to nature and one another.
I am a proud father to our son, a builder, and land-based practitioner who lives among our thriving food forest in Northland. My support of Tree Born is deeply rooted in my connection to whānau and whenua, and to the ancestral lands of my Ngāpuhi hapū, where I help manage and restore land as part of ongoing hapū-led stewardship.
With a background in carpentry, personal training, and shiatsu, I bring a grounded understanding of movement, strength, and care—skills that I apply to regenerative land work and my guidance to students and clients we work with through Tree Born.
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Sean Malcolm
Together, we help create personalised food forests because we believe that deep,
reciprocal connection with nature is one of the greatest gifts we can offer our children.
What is a Tree Born Forest?
Each Tree Born forest begins by connecting with you and the potential of your land. From there, we work with organic and regenerative practices to coax the abundant forest your soil longs to become.
Our forests are designed to be engaged with.
At the heart stands a tree of your choosing, encircled by a winding path and surrounded by layers of fruit trees, herbs, native plants, and supportive species. These forest glades - shaped and sized in harmony with your land - are living ecosystems that grow alongside children, offering nourishment, wonder, and a sense of belonging.
They can stand alone as abundant sanctuaries, or grow over time to welcome new family members, students, and community groups.
Tree Born is here to help you create a meaningful forest that reflects your values and story—offering a space of nourishment, belonging, and connection for your child. A rich ecosystem that grows alongside them, deepening their connection to nature.
Our Story - the birth of Tree Born
In 2022, when our son was born, we planted his placenta—his tree of life—into the earth. It was an offering of gratitude to Papatūānuku, Mother Earth, and a symbol of connection to land, ancestry, and the future. Naturally, given Sean’s and my passion for Syntropic Agroforestry and Permaculture, that small patch of earth soon began to unfurl into a thriving forest, growing alongside him.
Our inspiration came from our Māori and Celtic traditions—like many Indigenous cultures around the world—that honour the placenta as sacred, returning her to the earth to mark a child’s first connection to land, life, and lineage.
While our journey began with this practice, we welcome all pathways, rituals, and traditions that connect children with nature. However you choose to mark the planting of their forest, we offer our support to parents, families, schools, and communities who wish to bring the magic of nourishing forests into the lives of children.
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