If you have a broken bookshelf, bracelet or bike languishing in a corner, don’t ditch it, fix it! Part of a grassroots movement to create less waste, repair cafés are popping up all over the world, including here in Aotearoa. They’re free community events where people can bring their damaged or broken items and volunteer experts will do their best to repair them, working alongside owners and sharing their skills. It’s a win-win situation, connecting communities, saving people money and keeping items out of our landfills. Launched in the Netherlands in 2009, the first New Zealand repair cafe was hosted in 2016 by a group of residents in Pt Chevalier, Auckland.
Click here if you’re in Auckland and interested in attending or hosting a repair café. For events elsewhere in the country, search “Repair Café” on Eventfinda.
