A former Returned and Services Association club in Te Teko is warning other clubs under the RSA banner over the national body’s crack down on unpaid fees and adoption of a new constitution.
Te Hokowhitu a Tū ki Te Teko Inc, formerly the Te Teko Memorial RSA, broke away from the RSA and created their own constitution and identity in April.
“We knew the problems were coming up later down the track… and we didn’t want to be part of that,” said club president Hemana Waaka.
The Royal New Zealand RSA (RNZRSA) has launched a campaign to modernise the organisation.
This week, it announced new initiatives including rolling out centrally-funded but regionally delivered support and advocacy services, developing online capability, technology upgrades and a programme to enhance the collection of veteran stories.
It aimed to reach and engage “contemporary veterans” to refresh the ranks, but that has come at the cost of alienating its traditional membership.
Waaka said ongoing infighting started in 2023 with heavy-handed communications from head office over modernisation efforts. He said leadership made the disparaging characterisation of RSA clubs as places to get “haurangi” (drunk) and to gamble which shocked and hurt members of the movement.
“Kārekau rātou te whakaaro ake, ka kore te haurangi, ka kore te petipeti gambling, kei hea ngā pūtea hei whakahaere i a rātou whare?”
(They didn’t consider that without the [booze], without the gambling, where else would the money come to pay the bills?)
Waaka said branch presidents from around the country had spoken about the issues they were facing at a national meeting in Wellington. He said due to decreasing memberships and financial woes many relied on takings from alcohol sales and gaming machines.
He gave an example of one club that faced hardship and controversy after it failed to renew its licence to operate their machines. He said there were many other clubs under the same financial pressure.
Financial woes
Some local branches are now facing suspension or potential termination over unpaid capitation fees.
The RNZRSA revealed that 24 branches owe a combined $180,000, sparking concerns about the organisation’s cashflow and ability to support veterans.
As reported by Newstalk ZB, it was also revealed that 51 clubs had yet to disclose their poppy appeal return from April, and 18 clubs were sent suspension letters with an August 11 due date to pay or face termination.
Waaka said the RNZRSA is biting the hand that feeds them.
“Ko ngā hereni kei te kohikohihia e tēnā whare, e tēnā whare, ka haere katoa ki a rātou. Ara, kua puta mai i a rātou tērā tono, a ‘ka kore koe e utu ka turakihia koe’ – koirā te wahanga kei te arohatia ahau ki ngā RSA.”
(The money collected by each and every club goes to [the national body]. Then, hello, they come out with an ultimatum, ‘if you don’t pay up you will be terminated’ – that’s where I feel sorry for those RSA clubs.)
He’s encouraging other clubs to make a stand.
“Don’t let them bully you into paying fees, that’s your choice. If you don’t want to pay your fees and live as an independent, you’re not on your own. There’ll be a lot of us that are independent, we will get together in time to organise our own national entity.”
RNZRSA board chairman Lieutenant General Rhys Jones said the “vast majority” of RSA clubs are financially stable, but some of those with overdue membership fees, or capitation fees, are using them for leverage to push back.
“The issue is that money goes towards support for veterans and so that $180,000 is $180,000 that we are unable to use to support veterans around the country.
“It really is a – if I can use the term – a self-shooting foot. They’re doing this but it affects our ability to support veterans.”
Jones said the RNZRSA was in talks with some of the clubs.
“We’re trying to say ‘hey, you know, this was an obligation you’ve had over the last year the benefit of the services, the national support that the RSA provides’.
“It’s a bit unfair for them not paying those membership fees for us, which is, you know, an obligation. That’s what membership entails. There’s give and take. You donate the money in, here is the support you get.”
He said if the fees aren’t paid then the RNZRSA will have to reduce the amount of support they give across the country.
“It will always be based on need and we will always try and provide the support that’s there but it just means that we’re eating into the reserves of the RSA.”
He said more might fall on to individual RSAs to support national programmes rather than on a national level.
New constitution rankles
Waaka said the RNZRSA’s new constitution didn’t include the Treaty of Waitangi, nor did it reflect its Māori members.
“I feel sorry for my Māori mates that are in all the RSAs right throughout the country. They got a constitution that doesn’t recognise them as a Māori.”
He said it was the primary reason their local branch broke away from the national body – to retain their tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake (sovereignty and self-determination).
Jones said the Treaty was considered but it was decided to discuss the matter more among the members.
“When we were looking at the new constitution, we did register the fact that maybe the Treaty of Waitangi principles should be involved in here, and work was done to do that.
“However, on the advice of the kaumātua of the RSA it was decided that, actually, more engagement, more consultation’s needed before that could be done.”
He said there was no time to allow for the process to take place ahead of the endorsement of the constitution, but the intention was to update it in the future.
He acknowledged that Māori “were not treated well” by the RSA after the two major world wars, but ever since the 1950s Māori have integrated into the organisation, “as they should have been right from the start”.
“The RSA has really moved down that path for a while. We’ve had a kaumātua in the RSA for a while, and each of the meetings that we have we open with a karakia, close with a karakia. So the recognition of the ao Māori has been there in the RSA for quite some time.
“But, as I said, we still feel that there should be consultation acceptance for where we’re going down that path.”
In addition, Newstalk ZB reported on Tuesday that the national body was facing legal action from “rebel” Auckland District-based RSA clubs that claimed changes to the constitution were made through an unlawful process.
Waaka wanted other clubs to think about what it meant to remain under the RSA banner and supported those who chose to leave.
“If you want to stay in the RSA with the new constitution, you’re going to have financial problems later on if you can’t afford your fees.”