Go Native NZ is a leading supplier of pure & natural, organic essential oils, carrier oils, aromatherapy, skincare & cosmetic ingredients across New Zealand.

Kia Ora and welcome to Go Native NZ, we've been in operation since 2001 as a skincare and soap making company, and in our present form as wellbeing, skincare, cosmetic and aromatherapy ingredient supplier since 2007. We offer premium-quality products at affordable prices, with bulk and wholesale options available. We stock essential oils, carrier oils, cosmetic butters, waxes, fragrance oils, raw materials, ready-to-go bases, skincare and cosmetic ingredients from around New Zealand and the World

We’re a small, close-knit team of family and friends who are committed to finding the finest skincare and cosmetic ingredients from around the world. These ingredients must be ethically sourced and where possible we buy direct from the growers, so we can establish a relationship with them.

We are customer focused and really like to hear what our customers have to say about our products and service and what ingredients they would like us to provide. This feedback enables us to improve our service.

Go Native New Zealand Team

Elinor McEwan - Founder

I started Go Native New Zealand in 2001 after almost a lifetime of making my own skincare products. Due to my husband's chronic psoriasis, I started making cold-process soap (which helps enormously) and produced a fine range of retail soaps and pet shampoos, only to realise retail products are not my forte.

I don't like the publicity that has to go with being successful in that field, so I eventually turned to supplying the ingredients to make the end products. I just love being in the background organising, refining the systems and researching the world for the best skincare and cosmetic ingredients from around New Zealand and the World

My background: I was born in Tuatapere, Southland, the last of seven kids, and grew up in Invercargill, where my heart still is, to a certain extent. The family shifted to Nelson, where I went to secondary school. I was very involved in sport and played everything available: netball, basketball, squash, tennis, table tennis.

When I was 16, I had the enormous good fortune to win $400. I used it to learn to fly (a 90hp Piper Cub for the curious). It was absolute bliss to take off after school on a sunny day and head up into the skies around Nelson. Such a lovely part of the world. At 17 I went off to Canterbury University to do a BA in psychology, followed by a year at teachers' college in Wellington and two years teaching in Auckland. Not my thing.

My OE: Six months working in an alpine village in Switzerland and travelling as far east as Istanbul followed, then I came home and worked at the NZ Herald as a proofreader for nearly 20 years and loved it. We worked in the evenings so had all day off to enjoy life. It was like being on permanent holiday.
Alas, technology overtook us and we were all made redundant.

For me it was well timed, as Chelsea, our oldest child, was about to start school and, while my work hours were wonderful for preschoolers, I wouldn't have seen enough of her. I didn't want to go out to work and miss out on the kids, so I started a preschool in the back of our house which ran very successfully for 18 years. After two years at school, Chelsea decided she wanted to stay home so there she stayed. Harry, our son, chose the same path. They are absolutely delightful and we love having them around. The four of us completed the New York marathon in 2011. (If I can do it, anyone can.)

I have been married for yonks to an absolute gem. He is just a delight and still makes me laugh. He is also very supportive, enthusiastic and generous . . . and prefers to remain anonymous.
We have three children, Chelsea, Harry and, very sadly, the late Jane. 

My background: I have trained and worked as an actor since I was very young, and in the beginning working at Go Native enabled me to pay my rent while I rehearsed theatre shows in the evenings and weekends.

Homemade Makeup: I learned all the foundations of formulation from Mum and have been making my own skincare most of my life, and now most of my own makeup. As I got deeper into the business I became more and more fascinated by the skincare formulation world. The more I learn in formulation, the more I realise there is always something new to discover, which can be overwhelming but also exciting. I welcome questions I don’t yet know the answers to, as it allows us to learn together and explore new ideas I hadn’t considered.

We’re a small, tight-knit team handling everything in-house from order fulfillment, to writing newsletters. It’s never boring and now this is my full-time job and I love it!