Ngaio repair café proves popular

Ngaio Union Church, tried out an idea. It started Ngaio Repair Café.

On the third Saturday of the last three months of 2022 and again on Saturday 18 February this year, it has offered 9 am to 1 pm as a time when anyone could bring household items for repair.

To fix them the church has gathered local volunteers with skills in sewing, electrics, electronics and general repair.

“Across the four cafe events we’ve run so far, we’ve had 146 people at an average attendance of 37,” John McInnes, the Café’s coordinator says.

“In total approximately 180 items have been brought in for repair and the approximate fixing rate is 60%.”

The items brought in for repair on 18 February included a coffee grinder, a metal bell, clothes, a wooden box, a microwave, knives for sharpening, bedside lamps, sunglasses, garden shears, a Bluetooth speaker, picture frames and an easel, pruning loppers, a VCR player, a DVD player, a food processor, a window washer attachment, a bag needing sewing, a torch, a rice cooker, a shoe for gluing and a bracelet.

“Clearly, we have tapped into a need,” John says.

“Many people now realise that just throwing stuff in the tip is not the way to go. ‘Chuck it out and buy a new one’ is not quite the prevailing philosophy it used to be.

“Individuals and families come.

“It’s a free service with a koha opportunity if people feel so inclined. We provide morning tea while people wait for a repairer to be available.

“People seem to enjoy a bit of a chat and small children sometimes go home with a helium filled balloon,” John says.

The church, which sees the Repair Café as part of showing God’s love in a practical way, would like to build up its core of volunteers.

People who sew would be particularly welcome. Shirts, jeans, jackets, jerseys and other fabric items come in every time the Repair Café opens. Anyone who repairs leather items would be an asset. So too would be a jewellery repairer.

Ngaio Union Church did not invent the Repair Café. It joined Repair Café International which began in Holland about 20 years ago and is now in many different countries. Repair Café Aotearoa New Zealand represents it here (see https://www.repaircafeaotearoa.co.nz/).

The Ngaio Repair café will open 10 am to 1 pm on Saturdays 18 March and 15 April, and each third Saturday in the month if there is a demand. The Café is at repaircafengaio@gmail.com and John McInnes can be phoned at 479-5710.

An introduction to raranga (weaving) with harakeke (flax) will be held at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush from 11am to 2pm on 25 February.

The session will be led by Frank Topia and Linda Lee. Starting with tikanga and making putiputi (flowers) kono and konae (small containers), people can develop skills over time to craft more complex objects such as baskets, wahakura and kete.

People can book a session at EventFinda.

Road closure

People travelling to the Wairarapa will need to avoid night time travel for a week later this month and early next month.

State Highway 2 will be closed at Rimutaka Hill from 9pm to 4am each night from Sunday 26 February to Friday 3 March.

The road will be fully closed to traffic to allow contractors to carry out essential maintenance and road resurfacing.