Rosie Costley, 11, and her brother Reuben, 9, take apart e-waste at the Palmerston North Repair Cafe. Photo / Judith Lacy
The chair you inherited from your grandmother is no longer quite there.
The jersey you wear most days has a bare patch.
Enter the repair experts at the monthly Palmerston North Repair Cafe.
The experts are volunteers and in return for their time ask for a koha and a smile.
And the cafe part of the name is not a gimmick, hot drinks and cake are also provided for a koha.
Last Saturday, there were sewing, wood, toy and general repairs being done with some of the volunteers from Menzshed and SuperGrans.
While the Manawatū Guardian was there, volunteers fixed the soles of a pair of shoes, a wooden sewing box that wasn't closing properly, and a pair of men's pants that needed some stitching.
Repair Cafe coordinator Nelson Harper works at Environment Network Manawatū and is supported by a committee of volunteers.
Different repairers come as they are able - in September there was a book repairer.
At that inaugural cafe, 24 people went home with successful repairs, mainly furniture, toys and clothes.
There were only a few items that could not be repaired as they were really technical, such as an antique clock, Harper says.
People are welcome to learn how to do repairs.
The cafe also has a take-it-apart table full of old phones and computers.
"Last time the parents almost couldn't leave as the kids were having so much fun," Harper says.
The table is a great way for kids to start thinking about how things work; if they can take it apart then maybe they can put it back together. It sows the seeds of a repair mindset and Napier's repair cafe has picked up the idea.
Dismantling the items also helps Palmerston North business We Reuse I.T., which reuses, recycles, refurbishes and repairs computers and phones.
In a pamphlet, We Reuse I.T. director David Goddard says e-waste is the number one human waste issue that our planet faces with manufacturers of digital devices continually lessening the shelf life of their products to generate sales of newer models.
Shian Millward was at the reception desk at Saturday's Repair Cafe.
The 14-year-old is working towards The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award and wanted to do some volunteering.
The repair cafe received $10,500 from the city's council's resource recovery fund.
International Repair Day was on October 15, putting an extra spotlight on repair worldwide. This year's theme was repair everywhere.
+ The next Repair Cafe is at Te Manawa Museum, November 26, 10am-1.30pm.
Andy Stewart pushed on with his motorbike trek despite his growing pain.