Backed by 20 plus years of electrical repair experience, Rob Garnham is happy to be giving back to his community.

The born and bred local man, son of Gibby and the late Barb Garnham, has done a full circle when it comes to paying it forward. He has now launched his own appliance repair business but hasn’t forgotten how it all started.

Educated locally, Rob applied for an electrical services technician apprenticeship based in Napier, which was advertised in the Wairoa Star. “The position was at a business belonging to local couple, Jane and John O’Sullivan. They had purposely advertised in the Star because they wanted to give Wairoa locals an opportunity. Rob secured the position, completed his apprenticeship, and stayed with the O’Sullivans until they sold, then continued his role with another electrical repair business in Napier.

Rob would often come to Wairoa to do commercial servicing and always loved coming home.

A series of events led Rob to sell his Napier house, move back home to Wairoa, and start working for Richard Tollison at the Wairoa Appliance Centre in mid-2019.

With Richard closing up the main street business at the end of April, Rob saw the opportunity as a chance to keep a local repair service operating in Wairoa.

“Jane and John gave me an opportunity, and Richard also, so this is the next step in the journey of giving back,” said Rob.

“I really enjoyed my time at the Wairoa Appliance Centre. Richard has done a lot for our community over the years and is an outstanding person.”
Rob has set up a workshop from home, although he always tries to do the repairs at clients’ homes to make the process more efficient and streamlined. From washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, freezers, and ovens, he services them all, but stays away from televisions and stereos, as the cost to repair is not economical. He does, however, specialise in Freeview satellite installation and repairs.

“I will provide the same service that I did when working for the Wairoa Appliance Centre, where we were always client-focused. For example, I will always try to group together a set of jobs in a specific area to keep travel costs down for clients.

“We know there is always something that needs fixing, and often an appliance may be out of warranty but still have years of operation left in it, and the cost of repair can be far more economical than having to replace it. I have been in the game for long enough that, unless it's a really unusual fault, I can usually make an assessment within half an hour and determine if the appliance is worth repairing.”

Rob also has nearly 25 years of industry contacts to draw on, so he can get information, knowledge, and brand details from various colleagues if needed and can source parts for most brands, including second-hand parts when appropriate.

Rob describes the key to being an effective technician as taking an analytical, logical approach. “If you know the process, it's easier to diagnose the fault, and it is often a process of elimination.”

Rob is looking forward to continuing to work with the Wairoa community and providing the much-needed appliance repair service.

Rob's Repairs
Phone 021 0813 1700
robsrepairswairoa@gmail.com

12 June 2025

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