Rekindling Home Fires

As she poured wax and mixed scents, Wiki often found herself reflecting. “I’d think, ‘How does this make me feel? What is this bringing up?’ By the time I’d finish a candle, I’d have processed something I didn’t even realise I was holding onto.” Drawn to keep making candles, Wiki says she ended up with so many that her whole house was lit up like a Christmas tree. She began gifting them to friends and selling them at local markets, tamariki in tow. 

Life continued to evolve. She met her partner, Rangi, who encouraged her to pursue her passion. “He told me, ‘The happiest I see you is when you’re creating, but you’re just dabbling. You should do this properly.’ So I did. And I haven’t looked back.” Rangi helps with the narrative and cultural aspect behind the candles, and his influence has also helped Wiki reconnect with her whakapapa. “I did feel a bit disconnected after losing Mum at such a young age, as well as my grandfather, who had been a big cultural influence. Sometimes it felt easier to stay away,” she says. “In the past five years, I’ve fallen back in love with Te Kūiti. I go home all the time, to see my whānau, hear stories about my mum and grandparents. It’s all about connection.”  

Connection became a big part of her thinking when she started planning for Wiks Candles. “I wanted our candles to tell a story and to be different from anything else on the market,” Wiki says. “There are so many narratives within Māori culture around fire, and that’s the path I ended up following.” One candle, which she named Mōmotu Ahi, was inspired by the tradition of carrying embers from the home fire when moving to a new place. “Our ancestors would blow on the embers, reigniting the flame and lighting a new fire that was connected to where they had come from,” Wiki explains. “The idea is that it connects you back to your own home fire – whatever that means to you.”