Whangārei Heads THRIFT Repair Café

In February 2021 John Green approached The Deck, the local Café, to ask if they would be willing to host a small group of tinkerers and have a box where people could leave repair jobs for them to tackle. They were so encouraging and have been wonderfully supportive throughout. John also bounced the idea around a few people in the local community and, encouraged by the feedback he received, he put a few posters around and utilised local social media groups to publicise an initial meeting. In early March, they had their first meeting - a very diverse team of four; John, Dave, Ray and Tamati, the keeper of most useful resources. "If we ever say “What we really need is ….”, then Tamati says, “You know, I think I might have one of those in my shed”!

During their first year they saved so many things from the dreaded landfill - over a hundred items tackled with a success rate greater than 80%. These vary tremendously from ripped wet-suits, through broken chairs and tables, to jammed toasters.

“What is amazing is the wonderful rapport we have - fixing stuff is fun, but the conversations we have are even more fun!"