Whangārei Repair Cafe to fix those broken or damaged belongings

Broken things, wether they be toys, furniture, tools or appliances might be given a new lease of life at Whangārei's Repair Cafe tomorrow.

Have you got a few broken or damaged belongings hanging around that you don't know what to do with?

Well tomorrow could provide an answer with the Repair Cafe on this Saturday at 4 Wood St, Whangārei.

The Repair Cafe is an event where people bring broken and damaged belongings and local volunteer experts sit down with them and do their best to repair them.

The cafe is about bringing people together, connecting local people in their communities with others who are happy to share their skills and knowledge, saving people money and reducing the amount of material that ends up in landfills.

People throw away vast amounts of stuff. Even things with almost nothing wrong, which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair.

The trouble is, lots of people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves or they no longer know how, organisers say.

Knowing how to make repairs is a skill that is quickly being lost.

Society doesn't always show much appreciation for the people who still have this practical knowledge, their skills are often under appreciated. The Repair Cafe changes all that.

The Repair Cafe teaches people to see their possessions in a new light, and to, once again, appreciate their value.

The Repair Cafe helps change people's mindset. This is essential to kindle people's enthusiasm for a sustainable society.

But most of all, the Repair Cafe just wants to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is when working in community with those who know how!

The Repair Cafe will be on the first Saturday of every month 9am-11am or if you have a skill and want to volunteer email - officenorthland@habitat.org.nz or call 09 438 2250.

This workshop is held at The ReMakery. The ReMakery is an upcycle store and community space run by local volunteers. It focuses on keeping goods out of landfill and upskilling the community to learn how to do this.

It works with community groups and organisations to share knowledge, space, skills and equipment.

The aim is to create a hub for the community to learn about all things waste and work together to reduce the community footprint.

Profits made go directly to Habitat for Humanity's Home Programmes in order to help build a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Admission is free.