If enjoying a cup of tea and biccie in the sun while your trusty trousers or old kettle get repaired, then Repair Cafes are the place for you. 

Last Saturday we hosted our first Repair Cafe in partnership with the legends at the Mangawhai Shed. Repair Cafes have been a feature in communities across Aotearoa since 2013. The concept of a Repair Cafe is for people to bring in items in need of repair and sit back enjoying a cuppa or coffee while they wait. The primary goal being to keep items from ending up in landfill. 

With over 30 people popping by during the three hour time slot down at the Mangawhai Shed, there was a wide variety of items brought in. Clocks, speakers, tools, clothing items, kids toys and chairs were just some of the varied items the skilled volunteers either fixed or gave advice on. In some cases, the repairs required were more in depth and the Mangawhai Shed team could offer their woodworking skills for a fee. The electricians on hand were able to either fix items or give advice on whether it was worth trying to fix them with new parts or not. The sewing ladies were kept busy with patches on t-shirts, jean repairs and reuniting precious dolls with their legs and heads! 

Additionally the event provided some amazing community connection over shared biccies and some shared values. Attendees enjoyed the uplifting, positive and productive atmosphere for their Saturday morning.

Repair Café Aotearoa NZ is campaigning for Right to Repair legislation which would help ensure that items are repairable, durable. This movement contributes to not only minimising waste, but creating jobs and resilient communities. 

We hope to hold more repair events in the future but we do rely on volunteers. Even to make cups of tea or help with set up, so please join our mailing list if you’d like to be kept informed!