Candle guides, with the source attached.
Every figure on these pages comes from a page we opened ourselves, linked, with the date we read it. Where we couldn't find a source, we left the claim out and said so rather than repeating something that sounded about right.
How we source facts, and what we dropped for lack of a source →
The two pages we'd read first.
NZ-made candles: eight makers, and what their own sites say
Eight New Zealand candle makers, with the wax, town, shipping threshold and burn times each one publishes on its own site — checked 15 September 2026.
ReadCareCandle care and safety
Trim the wick, get the first burn right, and stop before the jar runs dry. The candle care and safety rules, each one credited to the maker or body that published it.
Read9 guides, all of them checked.
Soy vs coconut vs beeswax: what actually differs
What soy, coconut, beeswax and paraffin actually are, their published melting points, and what New Zealand makers use — with the claims we could not verify flagged.
ReadGuideWhat should a candle cost in NZ? Work it out per hour
New Zealand candles work out at roughly 73 cents to a dollar an hour, using makers' own published prices and burn times. Here's the arithmetic, and the catch in it.
ReadGuideHow long should a candle burn?
Published burn times for New Zealand candles by size, what the makers say about how long to burn one in a session, and the four-hour rule we could not verify.
ReadGuideWhy candles tunnel, and how to stop it
Tunnelling is set by the first burn. What the makers say about getting it right, how to rescue a candle that's already tunnelling, and when it's a fault you can return.
ReadGuideHow to tell a candle is actually made in New Zealand
What the Commerce Commission requires of a 'Made in New Zealand' claim, why an NZ address isn't proof, and the four questions to ask a seller before you buy.
ReadGuideAre scented candles toxic? What's actually known
Why we don't use the phrase 'non-toxic' about any candle, what we could and couldn't source about candles and air quality, and the fragrance product that is genuinely regulated.
ReadGuideCandle subscriptions in New Zealand, compared
What New Zealand candle clubs cost, how often they send, and what shipping adds — from each club's own page. Plus the thing every one of them has in common.
ReadGuideCandle gift ideas in NZ, by budget
What you can send for $10, $30, $60 or $100 from New Zealand candle makers, what delivery adds at each level, and how to make a candle arrive looking like a present.
ReadGuideScent throw: why a candle doesn't smell like it should
Cold throw, hot throw, and the practical reasons a candle underperforms in your room — melt pool, wick length, draughts and room size. With the claims we couldn't source flagged.
ReadThe shop isn't open yet. Want to know when it is?
One email when the first New Zealand makers are on the shelf, and nothing else. In the meantime, the makers' own shops are open today.