The Karangahape Road Repair Cafes have been running monthly since March 2021, except for the odd break during Covid.
Twenty-six have been held since then, meeting the needs of close to 500 different visitors, not counting repeat customers. 55% of the items that were brought in were completely fixed and another 11% were partially fixed. In 21% of cases, advice was given. It is not uncommon that repairers recommend that visitors buy a part. They can then come back and get it put in the same day, or at the next Repair Cafe.
$47,000 worth of items were saved from going into landfill over that period of time and it was estimated that it would have cost $20,000 to get the advice, or get those items repaired commercially.
Often it would have cost more to get the object repaired than to buy another one new and other people are simply not in a position to do so in these inflationary times. Repair Cafes are not just about repairs either, they are also about social connection. The visitors chat to the other visitors and the repairers while they work, sometimes learning how to do the repairs themselves.
Some of the items have emotional or sentimental value and people express their gratitude by giving koha which helps fund the Repair Cafes and keep them going. There are lovely stories that emerge such as this one:
Mary, who is very good natured, did wonder why she was repairing this t-shirt which was very old and very worn. It had a bad tear at the neck she attended to but she was quite concerned that the hole at the front she was carefully hand sewing would still be noticeable.
The writing on the front said 'Mom & Baby' with an illustration of a mummy panda and a baby panda.
Emmy, the owner of the t-shirt explained, “My husband bought it for me many years ago, before I had my baby.” It became apparent that the t-shirt was a symbol of his love for her and their mutual heartfelt desire to have a child together. That baby is now quite a grown-up girl as you can see in the photo.
The t-shirt became so well worn that Emmy felt she should really only wear it inside the house but she couldn’t bear to throw it away. She was delighted to be able to have it repaired at the Repair Cafe so she could keep having that feeling of surrounding herself with her husband’s love every time she put it on.
Our New Location
From Saturday 10 February, we’ll be moving around the corner to a lovely new location. In the Unitarian Church at 1A Ponsonby Road, we’ll have more room for our repairers and visitors and we’ll be able to look at bikes as well as the usual small electrical items, sewing, general household goods and tech repairs and advice.
Calling for Volunteers
We are always looking for more volunteer repairers. If you can give this worthy cause a hand, please contact us at greylynn.rc@doughnuteconomicsnz.com.
New Repair Cafes Opening
Doughnut Economics Advocates New Zealand (DEANZ) currently has seven Repair Cafes running each month in Auckland. From March, we will have two more. On 16 March, we will open our first one at Te Manawa at Westgate, 11 Kohuhu Lane on the third Saturday of every month and on 23 March we will open our first one at Te Matawai, 139 Greys Avenue, CBD on the fourth Saturday of every month.
For more information go to: repaircafe.doughnuteconomicsnz.com and doughnuteconomicsnz.com
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February 2024