Introducing Repair and Share, Weekly Repair CafeS at Auckland Library of Tools
Have you heard about “Repair & Share”? It’s a new weekly Repair Café hosted right here at ALoT and Hackland, in collaboration with RCANZ (Repair Café Aotearoa NZ) and funded by Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation Innovation fund.
What is a Repair Café, you ask? Repair Cafés are volunteer-run events that offer communities the opportunity to come together and help each other repair broken household items, extending the life of the item, reducing waste, and saving money while sharing skills and strengthening community over a good cup of coffee and a homemade treat! Visitors are encouraged to participate in the assessment process of their item, which is a great way of learning how your object functions, what went wrong and what it needs to be fixed. Visitors sit alongside the skilled repairer to observe and learn from the repair work and may even assist in the repair. Meanwhile, Repair Cafés in association with RCANZ collect data about the items that come in for repair, in order to calculate how much material we are saving from landfill and how much money we are saving by repairing over buying new. The item data collected also contributes to the Right to Repair movement, both internationally and right here in Aotearoa, a campaign that works towards making products available that are repairable and durable by design, is an essential step toward waste minimisation, decarbonisation and climate justice, a goal that RCANZ supports actively with its collaborators.
We are so excited to bring you “Repair & Share”, Aotearoa’s first regular Repair Cafe, every Saturday from 11-2, during ALoT open hours! Have a tool you need to pick up or return? Be sure to take a few extra minutes to pop into Hackland Makerspace behind the library to see what all the fuss (and fun!) is about. Bring your small broken household items, torn clothing, damaged toys and more. Check in to the discussion on our socials to see what types of repairs we are offering each week. Even if you don’t have anything to repair, you are invited to come hang out, have a chat and enjoy a tea or a cup of freshly brewed coffee from locals Kokako Organic Coffee. Koha is welcome for refreshments and for our lovely volunteers.
Getting here:
Bus stops on Ponsonby Rd (InnerLink, 20, 105, 106, 866), Great North Rd (11T/W, 18, 20, 195), and Karangahape Rd (WX1)
We are also near the northwestern cycleway.
Limited free parking is available next door or on side streets. There is no parking in front of ALoT/Hackland.
Some things to note:
∙ One item at a time please. You are welcome to bring a second item, and can check in that item after your first piece has been assessed/repaired.
∙ Make sure to come early, so you can get your item registered. Very last item will be accepted for repair 30 minutes before closing, considering items already waiting for repair.
∙ We don't work with microwaves.
∙ We do not do clothing alterations, only repairs and mending jobs.
∙ Have fun!
If you would like to help out, we'd love to hear from you!
We need skilled volunteers to help with repairs for textiles, wood items, jewelry, electrical items, toys, knitting, and more! We are also needing general volunteers to help with the setup of the repair space, and greeting visitors and helping them find the repairer for their needs, and baking volunteers to bring the treats that are so important to the hub of the Repair Cafe.
You’ll get to grow your skills and be part of an awesome team. Regular volunteers (once a month or more), will receive a free membership to ALoT.
If you’re keen to get involved, please fill out the form here for more info, or get in touch with our lovely Repair & Share Coordinator, Brandy, brandy.repairandshare@gmail.com
