President of Te Hokowhitu a Tū ki Te Teko Hemana Waaka has called for struggling RSA clubs to follow Te Teko in resigning from the national body, following threats from NZRSA to suspend clubs if they cannot pay their fees.

The RSA has suspended and threatened to terminate clubs around New Zealand for failing to pay their fees. As of last week, 51 clubs had not disclosed their poppy appeal return from April.

Twenty-four associations owe a combined $180,000, causing cashflow issues in the organisation.

Te Hokowhitu a Tū ki Te Teko Incorporated was formed as a veteran's club after the Te Teko RSA chose to resign from the NZRSA on Anzac Day this year.

“I anticipated something happening like this because of the resistance to accept the new draft of the constitution by other RSAs by other RSAs was quite strong,” Mr Waaka said.

“I believe the reasons clubs aren’t paying their fees are one, they can’t afford it, and two, following a statement put out by the president and chief executive of NZRSA saying the majority of RSAs are too busy getting drunk and gambling.

"The President did say it was out of context. However, that statement was damaging to the mana of the RSAs.

“It hurt a lot … It was written without foresight. Each RSA needs to gain funds from somewhere. Our members are dwindling, and our expenditure and liabilities are increasing.”

He said running a bar and gambling area in an RSA could be an important source of revenue for clubs.

“I feel sorry for all those Māori comrades who are affected by this headline.”

Te Teko RSA broke away from the national body after disagreeing with the draft of a new constitution that failed to recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“This is why we left. There are over 193 RSAs, you can’t please them all - but there were major items that were hurtful, and we wanted changed.”

It was not the only club to take issue with the constitution changes; clubs in Auckland and Canterbury filed legal proceedings seeking to amend portions of the new rules implemented.

Mr Waaka said Te Teko was in a fortunate position, with grants from local Māori Land Trusts allowing it to upgrade club facilities.

“We received strong support from our community and marae, and we offer our facilities for hire to local health groups for veterans and kaumatua

“The building and its assets all belong to the club. Our executive committee are the guardians. We are responsible for the protection of our assets and entertainment for all members.”

He said the former Te Teko RSA was up to date with its fees prior to leaving, putting it in a comfortable position to resign.

Starting next year, the club will craft its own poppies, so it can retain the revenue and put the funds back into supporting local veterans.

The club, renamed Te Hokowhitu a Tū ki Te Teko, finalised its constitution this month.

“We applied to be our own entity, allowing us to operate our own whare under a new name.

“We established our own mana motuhake in consultation with our local marae, members, sponsors, Kīngitanga spokesperson and Ngāti Awa leaders. Now we manage our own destiny under our own tikanga Māori.”

The club operates on Friday and Sunday afternoons, and is available on Saturdays for community hire.

“All members of the RSA are welcome to come in, they will be treated as a guest here,” Mr Waaka said.