Thread, screws, wire and glue make old items work anew
Barry Goodman’s scissors are thoroughly sharpened under David Barton’s expertise at the Motueka Repair Cafe on Saturday. Photo: Elise Vollwelier.
ELISE VOLLWEILER
Horse chaps, various lamps, bicycles, a tiered cake platter and a decades-old cake mixer were among the items that were presented for fixing at the inaugural meeting of Motueka’s Repair Cafe.
The meeting, held at Te Noninga Kumu – Motueka District Library last Saturday, was hosted by about a dozen repair volunteers and attended by 29 members of the public, who brought in their items for gluing, rewiring, sharpening and other various repairs.
Motueka’s branch is part of the Repair Cafe Aotearoa network, which aims to “foster a culture of repair in New Zealand”.
The initiative is supported by the Tasman District Council’s Waste Minimisation and Community Development scheme, and is in partnership with the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum.
The cafe’s organisers dubbed the event a “very successful launch”, with 10 new potential volunteers also offering their expertise for further repair cafes.
The organisers plan to make it a regular event in the new year, with the next meeting tentatively scheduled for Saturday, 17 February.
For information or to find out the next meeting date, contact [email protected]