Fighting for the right to repair

University of Auckland academics and alumni whose advocacy has helped bring proposed right-to-repair legislation before parliament say such a law is only the start of the changes needed.

The Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill, a member’s Bill from the Greens, was drawn from the parliamentary ballot in April and is due to have its first reading in Spring. It’s a big win for campaigners who’ve fought for years for better consumer protections. If the Bill is passed, it would be mandatory for manufacturers to ensure that repair facilities and spare parts are available in New Zealand. It would also mean information, software and other tools necessary for repair are made available upon request.

At the forefront of the campaign for change have been alumna Brigitte Sistig, a psychotherapist who co-founded Repair Café Aotearoa New Zealand in 2021, and professor of commercial law Alex Sims.

Alex says while the Bill is necessary and an overdue first step, more meaningful change requires many other statutes to be altered. These changes include the need for a wider range of products to be covered, in addition to those for personal and domestic use – for example, tractors and other agricultural equipment. It also includes the ability for lawmakers to require changes in product design to prevent ‘planned obsolescence’, and that information about the repairability and durability of goods is provided to consumers at the point of sale.

“Goods used to last for decades,” says Alex. “Now we’re expected to accept that appliances like fridges will last only ten years.”

Last year, she bought a 60-year-old Husqvarna sewing machine second-hand, which still goes well and is “super easy to fix and looks amazing. The people we bought it from had got it at least second-hand.” They’re attributes difficult to find in machines sold today.

Alex says planned obsolescence can be traced back to 1925 when lightbulb manufacturers agreed to roughly halve the lifespan of their bulbs and increase prices. A century on, she says, we have “obsolescence on steroids”.

Alex wants more power given to the Commerce Commission to take manufacturers to court over such practices and other breaches of the Consumer Guarantees Act.

“It is not sufficient to provide rights only to consumers and not also allow regulators to bring actions. Due to the cost and time of litigation, consumers and businesses rarely attempt to enforce their legal rights, even in low-cost tribunals.”

But, she says, the Bill, if passed, would represent a big step forward for New Zealand, which has so far lagged right-to-repair moves in Europe and the US. One immediate benefit would be creating more jobs through a potentially large repair industry.

Alex says manufacturers employ several tactics to limit the life of their products, including intentionally designing products that are difficult, if not impossible, to repair; ‘weaponising’ intellectual property to prevent repair by applying copyright to repair manuals and other documentation; limiting repairs to authorised repairers; and not manufacturing spare parts. During the pandemic, there were calls in the US to pass legislation to allow technicians and hospitals themselves to repair their equipment without waiting for expensive authorised repairers.

Planned obsolescence strategies have become even more sophisticated in recent years, with manufacturers developing software enabling them to remotely control their goods after sale. Examples include rendering printers unable to print when the monthly ink subscription has not been paid or making a Tesla owner unable to tow a trailer after installation of an unauthorised tow bar.

Alex advocates a “carrot rather than stick” approach for solving the problem and says the government can also take the lead in procurement, by requiring standards of repairability in the goods it buys. “Vendors will meet those demands.”

Although manufacturers have been the main drivers of planned obsolescence, consumers, swayed by marketing tactics, have also contributed, with a desire for cheaper or more fashionable products. Alex says she’s not immune to this either.

“Although we try to buy as much as we can second-hand and my partner is good at fixing things, we have unfortunately got used to buying new appliances rather than spending more money trying to fix something that may not work. People must be prepared to pay more for things that last longer and for which repairs are cost effective.”

Brigitte Sistig’s campaign to encourage conscious consumption shares parallels with her psychology studies – she obtained a Master of Health Science degree at the University of Auckland in 2014, specialising in mindfulness in mental health.

“The connection is about awareness. Recognising our impact, whether on ourselves, others or the planet is the initial step towards behaviour change,” she says.

“Caring for our belongings and keeping them out of landfills isn’t just about the environment, it’s about cultivating a more mindful and empowered approach to life, benefiting both ourselves and the planet.”

Brigitte describes growing up with a father who was a tinkerer. When he built an electric train set, she spent hours helping with the wiring, a passion that sparked her own love of problem solving. “Now as a psychotherapist, I work to ‘rewire’ neurons … healing hearts and minds.”

The Repair Cafés are powerful tools for consumer education, she says. By providing the opportunity to mend rather than replace, they foster a deeper understanding of product lifecycle, style and design. Many visitors who seek repairs at the community hubs discover the planned obsolescence inherent in many products. Brigitte says successfully repairing an item can boost self-esteem and confidence. “It’s a tangible reminder of our abilities and resourcefulness.”

In 2021, as co-founder of Repair Café Aotearoa New Zealand, she launched the Make it our Right to Repair petition, which went to then-environment minister David Parker and became the catalyst for the new legislation. She’s also founder and chair of the charitable trust Repair Network Aotearoa, dedicated to cultivating a robust repair culture.

An advisory board member of Repair Network Aotearoa is L’Rey Renata, a water engineer pursuing a PhD at the University of Auckland. Her studies aim to “redefine engineering best practice through a te ao Māori lens”.

L’Rey (Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi) says understanding the interconnectedness of all living things and the impact of waste on the environment is vital for developing sustainable practices that not only reduce, reuse and recycle waste, but also consider the cultural, spiritual and environmental implications of waste disposal. Kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection of the environment) means reducing the harm of hazardous waste, and old and existing landfills.

She says three principles of te ao Māori – whakapapa (lineage), tiakitanga (guardianship and environmental protection) and rangatiratanga (autonomy and self determination) – align with the right to repair.

Whakapapa, for example, emphasises the interconnectedness of all things, recognising the lineage and relationships that bind people, objects and the environment. “By advocating for the right to repair, we acknowledge the history and value of our possessions, respecting their place within our lives and communities, fostering a sense of continuity and connection.”

Together, these principles create a holistic framework that supports sustainability, community well-being, and the respectful stewardship of resources, she says.

L’Rey has been teaching her six-year-old daughter these principles and weaving their values into their daily lives. “It’s heartwarming to see her embrace these teachings; whenever something needs fixing, she proudly exclaims, ‘Mum’s an engineer, she knows how to fix it so it doesn’t hurt Papatūānuku!’”

While electrical appliances tend to get most of the publicity around the right to repair, the policy also covers clothing. And despite the resurgence of vintage clothing and recycle boutiques, we still have a long way to go, says Karen Fernandez, associate professor in the department of marketing.

Of all the textiles manufactured annually, about 85 percent end up in landfill or are incinerated, with just 12 percent donated or recycled, and less than one percent regenerated into fibre for new clothes.

Karen says the pandemic made some people realise they had to be more self-reliant. “I think it scared everyone. Repairing was part of that because we had to make do and we realised what would happen if we couldn’t repair.”

She says if manufacturers were forced to offer a repair service, it would discourage them from selling fast fashion, because it needs repair more quickly.

Karen concedes that we cannot all afford to buy luxury, vintage or sustainable fashion, but neither can we continue to thoughtlessly dispose of unwanted items.

She has her own experience of refurbishing a much-loved vintage denim jacket she bought from the Hard Rock Café in 1985 – removing and resurrecting the original logo to stitch on to a new jacket (and donating the original jacket to a woman who turns old denim into handbags to sell at markets). It cost her twice what she paid for the original item. “But saving a treasured memory from landfill? Priceless.”

Keen to learn more about Repair Cafés, or volunteer to get involved? Visit: auckland.ac.nz/viw-repair-cafe