The long-term project has its roots in the Otago Polytechnic's graduate diploma in sustainable practice, thanks to student Andy Cambeis' idea to establish a forest of fruit trees and perennial vegetables that anyone can harvest free.
Mr Cambeis came to study in New Zealand from Germany, where he planned food forests as a permaculture consultant.
He said part of his graduate project had been to involve the community, and while it was still in its early stages, the level of buy-in from people in the Upper Clutha had been considerable.
Course facilitator Steve Henry said the project had received "a lot of generous donations" to get it off the ground and volunteers were propagating hundreds of shelter belt trees at their homes.
The first groundcover seeds will go in at the domain in the next few weeks and other plants will follow.
Mr Cambeis said food forests, which comprise seven layers of plants, have a long tradition in places such as the Middle East, Africa, Nepal, India and Vietnam.
The domain in Hawea Flat is used mainly for grazing and on one day a year for the annual Hawea Picnic Races. It is managed by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, which is in the process of renewing a grazing licence over 33h of the site. The food forest will occupy a small area of land excluded from the previous grazing licence, which has just expired.
The forest will be planted in 700sq m clusters.
"Then you can do it at a pace and a rate that the community can keep up with," Mr Henry said.
"The idea is that you start small and you do it well."
Food would be produced from the forest in its first year but for it to be functioning fully, "it's a good 10 years".
Choosing the right species - particularly ones that could withstand Hawea Flat's heavy frosts - had been a big part of the initial planning.
Mr Cambeis said his main motivation in species selection was "trying to bring in things that have as many purposes as possible in a plant", from firewood through to food.
He said his Hawea Flat project had attracted a lot of interest nationwide in the green community, and "when people are satisfied with the work, I'm sure they will offer us more possibilities".
The Hawea Food Forest Charitable Trust will govern the forest, with trustees from the Hawea Flat community already appointed.
