Where creativity meets community.

Scent has a way of holding memory, of taking us back to places we didn’t realise we had stored so deeply. For Ryan, that connection between scent, place, and emotion became the foundation of Ākau Fragrance. This Northland-based candle brand creates handcrafted scents inspired by Aotearoa’s natural environment and lived experiences. Designed for those drawn to intentional living, thoughtful gifting, and clean sustainable candles, each piece is created to feel deeply personal.

Hello and welcome to the BoutiqueBiz Chronicles. My name is Ruth, your local business guru and aspiring journalist. Today’s story celebrates a Māori wahine who has built a photography pakihi (business) grounded in community, creativity, and heart. PR Pikitia is a photography business based in Putāruru, created from a lifelong love of taking photos and the realisation that this passion could become something more. Founded by Tere Petley-Rata, the name PR Pikitia honours whakap

My name is Ruth, a local business guru and aspiring journalist. Today’s story celebrates two cousins who have spent the past decade pioneering matcha in the New Zealand market and building a community around discovering and loving it. Enna Ye, co-owner of Thea Matcha, and I first met at a beautiful café overlooking the Auckland waterfront. We sipped on matcha stocked by Thea and began our conversation, which was cut short and later finished via video call a few weeks later. V