WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Waste not, want not MEET THE WOMAN WINNING AWARDS FOR TURNING TRASH INTO TREASURE
Buffie’s amazing creations
Junk and waste may not typically be a source of glamour, but west Auckland mum Buffie Mawhinney is boosting its image with her award-winning upcycling creations.
Buffie, a sustainability co-ordinator for Ranui Community Centre, is growing a reputation for reusing building materials and turning them into quality, fashionable products.
Born into a creative and practical family, Buffie’s passion for upcycling began young.
“Before computers there was the World Book Encyclopedia
and we had a set,” says
Buffie, whose mum is a gifted seamstress in fashion and film, and whose dad was a furniture maker and woodturner.
“My favourite World Book
when I was young was the
Make and Do, which got me started on making things. Over time, I made useful things from unwanted products.”
She calls her style “rough stick” and not “rustic” because, as she jokes, it is often “over engineered and over sewn”.
For years she dabbled in upcycling, but in 2016, while working at the centre’s cafe, she saw an opportunity to be involved in a more ambitious project – a major renovation of the centre.
Using the permaculture principle of redefining waste and her upcycling skills, she repurposed the deconstructed materials into Café Korero’s new interior – stopping seven tonnes of construction and demolition waste from going to landfill.
Initially facing cynicism from on-site builders, Buffie ignored their taunts to transform the eatery over a six-month period.
With paint pots as plant pots, doors for tables, cupboards made from waste timber, underlay carpet for foam seating and even old gib nails making the café sign, her innovative work eventually won them over.
“They took the mickey out of me the whole time,” she says. “They’d find a bit of paper and say, ‘Give it to Buffie to recycle.’
“But when one of the builders saw how the wall was covered with recycled planks of wood, he said, ‘My wife would think that was amazing. I’m going to do that at home.’ Until they saw what I was doing, they couldn’t see the big picture.”
Inspired by ideas on the social media website Pinterest, Buffie won a gold award at last year’s New Zealand Flower and Garden Show for her French boudoir entry using plants and a range of upcycled furniture, including a dressing table, mirror and curtain rail.
Together with her mum
Chris and her auntie Sue, she won a second gold award for a retro kitchen that included an upcycled sink, upcycled cupboards and pantry doors, and an old drainpipe as a herb garden.
“We are very competitive,” says Buffie (44) with a laugh.
“We are lucky that we all won gold or there might have been quite a bit of sulking.”
Motivated by their successful displays, the trio plan to push themselves to a “bigger and better” performance at this year’s flower and garden show at Henderson’s Trusts Arena.
They’re reluctant to reveal too many secrets, but Chris (63) is working on a water preservation and upcycled plastics project, while Buffie’s theme embraces The Adventures of Hutu and Kawa from the classic children’s book by Avis Acres.
So what skills does a great upcyclist need?
“A good imagination and a healthy dose of patience helps,” says Buffie. “If it doesn’t work at first, it is time to try again. In the past I’ve made some great firewood while trying. It is important not to be scared to try something new.
“I often hear people say, ‘Oh, I don’t know how to use that tool.’ I tell them, ‘Well, ask someone who knows to show you, and give it a go.’”
She’s passionate about wood and amazed at what some people consider to be waste.
“When I look at renovated homes in Ponsonby and Grey Lynn, a lot of kauri, rimu and matai is being discarded.
“These trees were a dime a dozen in the past but now they are so rare and precious I can’t believe people are throwing them away.”
Buffie’s passion for upcycling has given her great satisfaction over the years.
“To take an idea and turn it into reality is amazing. I’m not a paint-by-numbers sort of person and I get inspiration from everywhere. I might see a picture on Pinterest or in a magazine and think, ‘I really like that, but I haven’t got $2000 to spend, so I’ll try to make it.’”