South Auckland RSA changes take shape amid questions over support for veterans

Across South Auckland, the Returned and Services Association (RSA) is changing fast, but one key question remains: who is actually responsible for supporting veterans?

That now depends heavily on where they live and what model their local RSA follows.

In Papatoetoe, the RSA is preparing for Anzac Day, one of its busiest and most important days of the year.

But manager Adele Stone says day-to-day engagement is much lower.

“No. No, unfortunately, the community as a whole only thinks of RSA on Anzac,” she said.

The club has more than 500 members, but only about 50 attend regularly, most of them older members.

Papatoetoe RSA manager Adele Stone says many RSA are now run largely by associate members due to a decline in veteran membership. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata.

Stone says this reflects a wider shift across the RSA network.

“Since associate members have been coming in, you’ll find now that most RSA are actually run by the associate members now because there’s not enough veterans left,” she said.

“We have a lot more to offer than just popping up once a year for Anzac Day.”

A poppy mural marks the entrance to Papatoetoe RSA as preparations are underway for Anzac Day. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata.

While Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand provides national support and entitlements, it does not run local RSA clubs.

The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association says each RSA operates independently and is expected to adapt to its own community.

Manurewa-Papakura ward councillor Daniel Newman said welfare support for veterans sits primarily with Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand, while councils focus on commemorative services and maintaining memorial sites.

“RSA Clubs continue to have an important role in guiding commemorative services, especially dawn services,” he said.

“The council's primary role in relation to veterans is to be a constructive partner as it relates to commemorative services; and we need to maintain our cenotaphs, veterans' graves across the Council's network of cemeteries; and we must support the Auckland War Memorial Museum, which is iconic.”

Manukau ward councillor Alf Filipaina says Pacific contributions to military service should continue to be recognised. Photo/Auckland Council.

In South Auckland, where Pacific communities have a long history of military service, Manukau ward councillor Alf Filipaina said those contributions must not be forgotten.

“The Pacific that came over to serve with our Anzacs, with New Zealand, they still need to be acknowledged,” he said.

Filipaina said RSA remain an important place for remembrance, particularly for younger generations.

“It gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the sacrifices that our soldiers made in the wars, whether they be Vietnam, World War I, World War II, or any other conflict. It gives us the opportunity to acknowledge those who paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

“I mean, if you had no RSA and everything was like the [Cosmopolitan] Club and the bar and the pub, we wouldn't, where would we acknowledge the sacrifices that New Zealanders and Pacific people made during all the conflicts? Where do we do that?

“That's why the RSA are so relevant, because it still has an opportunity for our community, in particular our rangatahi, to end up recognising that this is the reason why we do this,” he said.

The Manurewa Veterans Support Centre operates as a service-based hub, reflecting a shift away from the traditional RSA club model. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata.

While Papatoetoe reflects the challenge of maintaining traditional RSA clubs, Manurewa has taken a different approach.

The former RSA there has transitioned into a veterans’ support centre, operating without alcohol or gaming and focusing on practical services.

President and veteran Clifford James McMahon said the change followed years of financial losses.

“We were trading at a loss for nine years,” he said. “We have come to the realisation that what was happening was morally, ethically and financially wrong.”

“We are all about support. A lot of RSA are about welfare, which is a handout. We do support, which is a hand up. It’s more than a technicality, it’s what we believe in,” he said.

“If you keep going, you're no better than a booze bar,” he said.

Inside the Manurewa Veterans Support Centre, a service-based hub for veterans. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata.

Board chair of the Royal New Zealand RSA, Rhys Jones, said there is no single approach that fits every club.

“The most important measure for any RSA is whether it is effectively supporting veterans in its community,” he said.

“Both approaches are valid and both contribute to supporting veterans. There is no single model that fits every RSA.”

Pacific veterans connected to the Manurewa RSA were approached for comment but did not respond.

Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand was also approached for comment.

Anzac Day services across Tāmaki Makaurau are listed here, including dawn services at Manukau Memorial Gardens and Manurewa Cenotaph.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.