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A Visit to New Zealand
by Holly Shader
What do Repair Cafes look like in other parts of the world? I visited New Zealand in November (beautiful country, highly recommend!) and had the opportunity to meet with Brigitte Sistig, founder of Repair Network Aeotearoa and visit a repair cafe in Auckland. I shared copies of Repair Revolution by John Wackman and Elizabeth Knight and learned how the culture of repair is spreading throughout their country.
New Zealand has over 75 cafes - not bad for a population of 5.2 million people. Like here in the U.S., they are pop-up events organized by the communities, so they range from being held a couple of times a year to one in Auckland that operates weekly in a back room of a tool library. Also, like here in the Hudson Valley, the first RC was held in 2013. Now, in addition to the umbrella of Repair Network Aeotearoa, there is also Repair Café Aotearoa New Zealand (RCANZ) to support the efforts of the cafes throughout the country with promotions and practical support. And while the ultimate goals are the same: waste reduction, extending the life of our belongings, saving money… the reasons why people participate are the same - it’s fun!
I met Brigitte at the Auckland Central City Library, in their Maker Space, where they have sewing and embroidery machines, 3D printers, and work space for groups to meet to work on projects. She, like our own John Wackman, heard about Repair Cafe around 2012 and was motivated to start the movement in New Zealand. She meets regularly via Zoom with organizers throughout the country. They collect information of the types of repairs being done and feed the information into a database, including manufacturers and model numbers, with the goal of advocating for improved design and repairability of appliances.
While in Auckland I also visited the weekly Repair Cafe held in the back room of the Auckland Library of Tools on Saturday. The library’s motto is “Own less, do more.” For a modest membership fee, members can borrow up to 10 tools for up to a week at a time.
Brigitte had told me that textiles were the most common repair, and there were three volunteers with sewing machines, but the first two items brought in were…lamps. (Isn't it always a lamp day?) I brought along a reusable grocery bag that had a split seam that Sarah was able to mend for me. Brandy, the organizer, said they are usually able to work with 20 - 30 people each week. The space was much smaller than most of our cafes, but they had a steady stream of guests coming in as well as space for individuals to work on their own projects.
The Repair movement is global! I was truly impressed with the vibrant, innovative community I met in New Zealand. We are part of a growing movement to make our world more sustainable and livable through sharing knowledge, growing community, and having fun!
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