Repair Cafés: exploring collaborative repair

This research employed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and participant observation with 19 expert volunteers from seven Repair Cafés across New Zealand, conducted between November 2021 and December 2022. The findings reveal why people volunteer at Repair Cafés, what benefits they experience, what barriers they face, and what it takes to successfully run these community repair spaces. Most importantly, the research shows that repair at Repair Cafés is fundamentally an act of care.