Made Right Here: Where to See NZ’s Makers at Work

A B Corp since 2021, Untouched World has been making sustainable lifestyle fashion since the late 90s, using regenerative natural fibres such as merino, organic cotton and linen, plus water-based prints and earth-friendly dyes. Much of the collection is made right inside its Christchurch flagship, which showcases the full range. Make a morning of it with brunch at Untouched World Kitchen, inside or out in the native garden.

What began at a makeshift workbench in Claire Hammon and Greg Fromont’s Auckland home is now one of the country’s most distinctive independent jewellery studios. Most Meadowlark pieces are made to order in Tāmaki Makaurau by a small team of skilled jewellers, from sculptural everyday pieces to wedding and engagement rings. Drop into the Ponsonby Road store to try the collection on.

Tucked just off Drake Street in Freemans Bay, Allpress Browns Mill is where the roaster’s story began, and it’s still part working roastery, part café and part gallery. Order the signature espresso blend or a rotating single-origin filter, then settle in on the sunny terrace with the hum of the roaster in the background. The on-site Allpress Studio hosts rotating exhibitions from local and international artists and ceramicists.

Every hat at Hatlantis is handcrafted at the ‘Hatmosphere’ factory just down the road, where Hills Hats has been making headwear for 151 years. Eighteen craftspeople still work with original machinery and time-tested techniques under the Smuts-Kennedy family, fourth-generation textile makers. Step through the gold-framed doors on Jackson Street to try on premium wool and fur felts, Panama straws and handwoven Vanuatu hoods, as worn by the likes of Ladi6 and Fat Freddy’s Drop.

What started in 1992 with a single label sewn onto a chalk bag is now some of the toughest outdoor and workwear around, trusted everywhere from Canterbury farms to Antarctica. The Lichfield Street flagship shares its space with the Cactus factory, so you can see the gear being made while you shop. Got an old favourite that’s seen better days? The team does repairs too, part of what has made Cactus a certified social enterprise.

Next door to Hastings’ Tribune precinct, Real World’s factory, shop and headquarters all sit under one roof. Founders Adam and Nicola make everything in small batches on site, from body wash and hand balm to candles, room spray and even pet wash, each matched with a native New Zealand extract. Sniff and sample your way around the shelves, then sneak a peek into the back room where the making happens.

Decked out like a kitschy beach shack, Sadhana Surf in Woolston is where Jay Jackman hand shapes and finishes every surfboard himself, with names like The Connoisseur and The Chairman. He and Hana have been building boards and 60s-inspired clothing in Christchurch since 1997, and you’ll often find Jay on the shop floor talking boards with curious customers. Custom boards are made to suit your surfing style.

Sparks fly and hammers ring out at Stackhouse Knives, a working studio in the heart of Upper Hutt’s Brewtown. Founder Shea started forging knives after hours in a Wainuiomata storage lock-up, and today the studio teaches blacksmithing, knife making, jewellery and bone and stone carving. Browse the finished blades up front, or book a class and walk away with a knife you made yourself.

At the back of Rawson Brothers, a compact jewellery store, you’ll spot goldsmith David Rawson at his bench, working on his latest commission. David honed his craft in London’s Hatton Garden, and everything in the workshop (the benches included) was built by him in his garage. Handcrafted rings, including his sapphire range, are made right there on site.

Mabel Vickers, a little black shop in a former butchery, sells one-of-a-kind ceramics made on site, alongside a considered edit of New Zealand brands. The pottery studio out the back runs hands-on workshops for small groups or a crowd, so you can shape your own piece after browsing theirs.

At Wellington Chocolate Factory’s Eva Street home, you can watch (and smell) bean-to-bar chocolate being made, from roasted cocoa beans to the stone grinders to the finished bars. Book one of the famous chocolate-making tours and you become the chocolate maker, leaving with your own bar loaded with toppings. The beans come from Peru, the Dominican Republic and Vanuatu, where its Grower Partner initiative pays farmers well above market price.

Wonderland Chocolate is a bright little shop themed on the Wonderland Adventure Park that called Miramar home in the early 1900s. Behind the sample-laden counter, big glass panes look into a pocket-sized factory where plant-based, gluten-free chocolate is made. Try ‘Conrad the Contortionist’ pineapple chews or ‘Cheri the Snake Charmer’ salted caramels.

When Cadbury closed its Dunedin factory in 2017, locals raised $2 million in 32 hours to buy OCHO and keep chocolate making in the city. Its Roberts Street factory now turns out up to 10,000 bars a week, with just cocoa and sugar in every bar and no emulsifiers. The Horopito & Kawakawa bar is a crowd favourite.

A few doors down from OCHO, the Hastie brothers roast small batches of peanuts for Bay Rd in converted coffee roasters before grinding them with a dash of pink salt. The former builders started at the Otago Farmers Market, towing jars behind a push bike. Pick up smooth, crunchy, chilli, almond or hazelnut butter at the factory, and bring your jar back for a discount next time.

Jane Stanton’s chocolates have been made for everyone from Air New Zealand to Te Papa and more than fifty New Zealand wineries and breweries. Everything is made on site at Seriously Good Chocolate Company, her Invercargill shop. Try the ‘sheep’s poo’ (freeze-dried boysenberries in milk chocolate) or the Mitre Peak caramel and toffee.

Whitestone started in 1987 in an old Ōamaru mechanic’s shop with one part-time cheesemaker and now makes 25 cheeses with a team of 75. Book the two-hour ‘homage to fromage’ tour of its Torridge Street factory, then head to the retro deli and diner in the old Tui Tearooms for a toastie and a tall milkshake.

Through big windows at Geraldine Cheese Company, you can watch the cheesemakers at work in the petite factory, which handles around 10,000 litres of milk a week. There are some fifty cheeses to taste, from a twelve-year-old cheddar to varieties made with deer and sheep milk.

Just up the street from the cheese, an alleyway leads to a former garage workshop where Andrew and Saskia Lewis make Humdinger small-batch gin by hand. Watch the distilling through a large window while you taste the range with New Zealand tonics.

Barrys Bay has been making cheese on Banks Peninsula since 1895, with milk from local grass-fed cows. From September to May you might catch the cheesemakers at work through the big factory windows (check the cheese-making calendar before you go). Don’t leave without the Peninsula Blue or the award-winning aged cumin gouda.

Part roastery, part retro coffee lounge, Havana’s Art Deco Tory Street flagship roasts more than sixteen origins and blends on site in its 70kg Loring roaster. Settle into a winged armchair with a view of the roastery, next to the vintage 1950s jukeboxes.

Addington Coffee Co-op, a Christchurch institution, has roasted its own beans since it opened in 2008, and you can still watch the roaster in action most days. Grab a bag of Common Good Coffee for home before you go.

Danish expat Lisa Brink bakes in full view on the factory floor at The Baked Dane, so the smell of fresh sourdough hits you at the door. Try the signature Dessert Knækbrød, a seedy cracker layered with caramel, dark chocolate and sea salt, and pop in on a Saturday for tastings.

For a factory with a past, head to Oturehua, where Ernest Hayes started making ingenious farm tools in 1895, including a wire strainer still used across Aotearoa today. The engineering works are the highlight of a visit, along with the 1920s mudbrick homestead. Take a self-guided tour or join one of the staff.