Golden Glow Candles: New Zealand’s Longest-Established Candle Maker Since 1969

Golden Glow Candles has been making candles in New Zealand since 1969 — one of the longest-established candle companies in the country. Here’s the story behind the business, what we make, and why it matters to the customers who’ve been buying from us for decades.

Founded in Auckland, 1969

Murray Davies established Golden Glow Candles in 1969, a time when New Zealand’s manufacturing sector was substantial and locally produced goods were the norm rather than the exception. Murray built the business around making the candles NZ homes and institutions actually needed: dining taper candles for restaurant tables, pillar candles for churches and events, and the practical everyday candles that households relied on before the mass-import era made every product category globally competitive.

Murray’s son Glenn now runs the business. The factory remains at 30 Enterprise Street, Birkenhead, Auckland — the same North Shore location the business has operated from for decades. The machinery and processes have evolved; the commitment to manufacturing quality in NZ hasn’t.

What We Make in Auckland

Not everything sold by NZ candle companies is made in NZ. We’re transparent about this: Golden Glow manufactures the core of our range at our Birkenhead factory, and imports selected products from trusted suppliers in the USA and China where they meet our quality standards.

NZ-manufactured at our Auckland factory:

• Taper and dining candles — including our 125mm and 250mm dining tapers in white, ivory, gold, silver, and colours
• Pillar candles — across the range of diameters and heights in our Festival brand
• Festival brand church candles — used by NZ parishes since the 1970s
• Scented soy jar candles — hand-poured in Auckland from 100% soy wax

Who We Supply

Golden Glow’s customer base reflects the breadth of candle use in NZ. Our longest-running customer relationships are institutional:

Churches and religious organisations — NZ parishes across Catholic, Anglican, and other denominations have been ordering Festival brand altar and pillar candles from us for generations. The consistency of our product means a parish that’s been using our candles for 30 years knows exactly what they’re getting with each order.

Restaurants and hospitality venues — NZ restaurants have used our dining taper candles for table service since the 1970s. Our lamp refill systems are used by premium venues across Auckland and beyond.

Wedding and event industry — florists, event stylists, and wedding planners return to Golden Glow because our stock is consistent in colour and specification. When you’re ordering 200 white taper candles for a wedding, you need to know they’re the same shade of white.

NZ households — our direct-to-consumer business has grown significantly with candles.nz, with customers around the country ordering everything from tea lights for everyday use to pillar candles for special occasions.

55 Years of Formulation Knowledge

The wax blends we use for our NZ-made candles have been tested and refined across five and a half decades of production. Every batch of candles we produce is burn-tested — we light sample candles from each production run and verify flame height, melt pool behaviour, drip resistance, and scent throw for fragranced products.

This quality control isn’t compliance theatre. It’s how we catch problems before products reach customers. A candle that tunnels, drips excessively, or produces soot isn’t a good candle regardless of how it’s described on the label — and we’ve been making candles long enough to know the difference between a batch that’s right and one that isn’t.

Visit the Factory Shop

If you’re in Auckland, you’re welcome to visit our factory shop at 30 Enterprise Street, Birkenhead, Auckland 0626. You can see the full range in person, assess colours and sizes before ordering, and get advice from staff who know the products properly. We’re open during standard business hours — call ahead on 0800 CANDLE (0800 226 353) if you’re making a special trip.

Or shop our full range at candles.nz — free shipping on all orders over $99 throughout New Zealand. If you have questions about specific products or need advice on quantities for an event or institution, we’re happy to help.

Browse: Taper Candles | Pillar Candles | Church Candles | Hospitality Candles | About Us

Trade and Wholesale

Golden Glow supplies trade customers — restaurants, hotels, event companies, florists, churches, and schools — alongside direct-to-consumer retail. For trade accounts with regular supply needs, we offer volume pricing and can discuss scheduled delivery arrangements. Most institutional buyers find our standard free-shipping threshold ($99) is easily met in a single order; for higher-volume needs, contact us to discuss account arrangements.

We’re familiar with the ordering patterns of NZ institutions — a parish that orders six times a year has different needs from a wedding florist ordering quarterly. If you have a regular candle requirement, we’d rather build a supply relationship than have you re-quote each time. Call us on 0800 CANDLE (0800 226 353) or use our contact form to discuss.

Golden Glow Candles FAQ