Little Ray is a New Zealand maker of hand-poured candles and handcrafted goods, with a collection organised around three ranges: Māmā, Little Ones and Home Fragrance. Everything is made by hand in New Zealand from sustainable materials — from the candles poured by hand for the home fragrance range to the crochet items and handcrafted pieces for babies and children.
Markets are where Little Ray most loves to meet its customers. The stall travels to markets around the North Island, including the Tamahere Country Market, Morrinsville Country Market, the St Andrew's Craft Fair in Cambridge and The Little Big Markets in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga and Whangamata. Each market is a little different, but you'll usually find handmade crochet, the home fragrance collection, products for little ones, one-off pieces that aren't available online, and exclusive market sales.
If you can't make it to a market, the online shop at littleray.co.nz is always open, with free domestic shipping on New Zealand orders over $150. You can ask for an item to be set aside for an upcoming market, or collect an online order in person by selecting pickup at checkout. The latest market updates and new event announcements are shared on Instagram (littleray_nz) and Facebook (Little Ray).
Some businesses you browse. Little Ray you feel — quite literally, if you meet them at one of their market stalls, where the whole point is to let visitors pick up the hand-poured candles, sink their fingers into the crochet, and see the quality of the handcraft up close. Little Ray is a small New Zealand brand built around handmade goods for māmā, little ones and the home, and everything in the collection is crafted by hand in New Zealand from sustainable materials.
The collection is arranged into three families: **Māmā**, **Little Ones** and **Home Fragrance**. The home fragrance range is anchored by Little Ray's hand-poured candles — poured by hand rather than mass-produced, and made with sustainable materials. Alongside them sit handmade crochet items and handcrafted products for babies and children, the kind of pieces that tend to be given as gifts and kept as keepsakes.
For a brand that sells online, Little Ray spends a lot of time face to face with its customers. Markets, the team says, are their favourite way to connect with families, let little hands explore the products, and share the stories behind each handmade piece.
The market calendar stretches across the upper and central North Island. Regular appearances include the Tamahere Country Market at St Stephen's Anglican Church, where stalls run on Saturday mornings from 8.30am to 1pm; the Morrinsville Country Market on Canada Street; and the St Andrew's Craft Fair in Cambridge. Further afield, Little Ray joins The Little Big Markets at Coronation Park in Mount Maunganui and on the Tauranga Waterfront, the Whangamata edition in Williamson Park, and Tauranga Christmas in the Park at Soper Reserve in the lead-up to the holidays.
Every market is a little different, but the stall usually brings together the handmade crochet items, the home fragrance collection and a selection of handcrafted products for little ones. Crucially for regulars, the stall often carries one-off pieces that never make it to the online shop, and market days come with exclusive sales you won't find anywhere else.
If you can't make it to a market, the full shop is online at littleray.co.nz, open any time. Domestic shipping is free on New Zealand orders over $150, which makes it easy to bundle a candle for the living room with a gift for a new māmā.
The market and online sides of the business work together, too. If there's something specific you'd like, you can message ahead and Little Ray will happily set it aside to bring to an upcoming market. Online orders can also be collected at markets — simply choose pickup at checkout and send a message to let them know which event you'll be at.
To keep up with new market dates and event announcements, follow Little Ray on Instagram as littleray_nz or on Facebook as Little Ray.
That blend — an online shop that's always open, and a stall that turns up weekend after weekend around the North Island — is what makes Little Ray easy to support. Whether you come for a hand-poured candle, a crocheted piece or something special for a little one, everything carries the same promise: handcrafted, made in New Zealand, and made to be used and loved rather than tucked away.