Wastebusters’ Repair Revolution is coming to Hāwea this weekend, with lots of skilled ‘fixers’ available to help give new life to people’s old things. 

The Repair Revolution is a repair cafe-style event where locals can bring along their broken treasures and receive free advice and repairs. 

The Hāwea event takes place this Sunday (October 18) at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre, and follows a successful Wanaka event last month. 

Wastebusters’ representative Sophie Ward said at the Wanaka event 94 per cent of people got their things repaired or got advice on how to fix them, and 83 per cent learned something new. 

“People loved it,” she said. “We had the most amazingly skilled and talented repairers.” 

They included lots of sewers, who did everything from fix backpacks to add patches, and one who even spent most of her day repairing a special vintage dress the owner had inherited. 

A repairer helps a young attendee with a fix.

There were also electronics repairers, among others, and even a ceramicist who specialises in Japanese kintsugi, an art form in which breaks and repairs are treated as part of the object's history and broken ceramics are carefully mended with a lacquer resin, often mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

“I love that idea of using something’s flaws to make it even more beautiful,” Sophie said. 

It’s also in line with the Repair Revolution ethos, which is to reduce waste by offering an alternative to ‘throwaway culture’, demonstrate how satisfying making repairs can be, and model the ‘circular economy’ in action.

The Hāwea event will have nearly all of the Wanaka event’s fixers, plus some more, Sophie said. Wastebusters will update this page with repairers’ information ahead of the event. 

Wastebusters encourages locals to head along to Sunday’s Repair Revolution, which will take place from 10am-2pm at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre. 

Bring your items in need of repair, and if they require any replacement parts, don’t forget to take them along too.

PHOTOS: Wastebusters