Is It Really Made in New Zealand?

How to tell a candle is actually made in New Zealand

A "Made in New Zealand" claim must be, in the Commerce Commission's words, "accurate, able to be substantiated and must not mislead consumers". An NZ address, an NZ brand name and te reo in the product names prove nothing. The test is whether the seller will tell you where the candle was poured, and stand behind it.

Last checked 15 September 2026 against Commerce Commission

Updated 15 September 2026 · About 6 minutes to read · Written by NZ Candles

What does the law actually require?

The Commerce Commission's position is short: any "Made in New Zealand" claim a business makes about its products "must be accurate, able to be substantiated and must not mislead consumers". Whether a particular product qualifies depends on "a number of factors, including the nature of the product and what consumers understand about it". It sits under the Fair Trading Act.

There is no fixed percentage threshold. In an earlier case about assembly, the Commission put it as "a question of fact and degree", and warned that "if important components are imported or if a significant part of the manufacturing process is undertaken offshore, then a 'Made in New Zealand' claim risks breaching the Fair Trading Act".

The Commission also publishes the honest alternatives it expects businesses to use when the full claim doesn't hold: "Packaged in New Zealand using imported ingredients", "Designed in NZ and manufactured in China", "assembled in New Zealand from imported components". If a candle brand is using one of those phrasings, that is a company doing the right thing — not a warning sign.

What doesn't prove anything?

A New Zealand address in the footer. Every importer has one. Of the eight NZ candle brands we checked, two give a New Zealand street address and do not say the candles are poured there. That is not evidence either way — it's just not evidence.
A New Zealand-sounding brand name, a fern, a kiwi, or te reo Māori in the product names. None of it is regulated and none of it is a manufacturing claim.
"NZ owned" or "a New Zealand company". Both can be entirely true of a business that imports finished candles and puts its own label on them. They are ownership claims, not origin claims.
"Hand poured" on its own. It says how, not where.

What does count as evidence?

An explicit sentence on their own site. Living Light says "Handmade in Golden Bay, New Zealand". National Candles says it is "proudly producing locally made candles right here in Wellington" and publishes its Te Aro factory address. Nevé says "Hand-Poured in Tauranga". NŌLA says its team "hand pour each and every candle from our home". These are claims the business has put its name to.
A named place, not just a country. "Made in NZ" is a claim; "poured in Warkworth" is a checkable one.
A willingness to answer the question. Email and ask where the candles are poured. A maker who pours them will tell you in one line.
The same answer in writing. If you're buying at any volume, ask for it in an email rather than a chat window.

Four questions to ask a seller

Where are these candles poured — which town, and by whom?
Do you pour them yourselves, or do you buy them finished from someone else?
If you buy them in, has that maker confirmed to you in writing that they're poured in New Zealand?
Is the wax imported, and does your "made in New Zealand" claim cover the wax or only the pouring?

What we require before we call something NZ-made

Three things, all in writing from the maker, before a single candle goes on this site: that the candle is poured in New Zealand; that online resale of it is allowed; and that we may use their product photos, names and descriptions. Where we can't get all three, we don't stock the maker and we say so. That is why our shop currently has nothing in it — the standard came first and the stock is following.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a legal definition of 'Made in New Zealand'?

Not a fixed percentage one. The Commerce Commission says the claim must be "accurate, able to be substantiated and must not mislead consumers", and that whether a product qualifies is "a question of fact and degree" depending on the product and what consumers understand by the claim.

Does imported wax mean a candle isn't NZ-made?

Not automatically, but it's exactly the kind of thing the Commission means by "important components". The safest and most common honest claim in this category is about where the candle is poured, not where the wax was grown — which is why we say "poured in New Zealand" rather than "made from New Zealand materials".

A brand has an NZ address. Isn't that enough?

No. An address tells you where the business is, not where the candle was made. Two of the eight NZ candle brands we checked publish an NZ address without stating where the candles are poured.

What if a seller won't answer?

Treat that as your answer, and buy elsewhere. A maker who pours their own candles is usually delighted to tell you where.

Who do I complain to about a false claim?

The Commerce Commission enforces the Fair Trading Act, which is what a misleading country-of-origin claim breaches. Consumer Protection's site explains the process.