Two men have been expelled from the Ōpōtiki RSA committee and trespassed from the club premises.

Daryl Sheffield and Joseph Gordon say they have been penalised for demanding information on the club’s financials, but RSA president Paeone Goonan says the expulsions followed breaches of committee confidentiality.

“I was trespassed when I went to the RSA to play snooker and three uniformed police arrived and asked me to speak to them outside. They told me they had been asked to trespass me but gave no reason for doing so,” Mr Sheffield said.

“Previously I was accused of intimidation in our executive meetings. To the best of my knowledge, this has to do with persistently requesting more details of our financial position from the RSA manager, culminating in my request for an organisational health check.”

Ms Goonan’s account of the facts differs. Every effort had been made to answer the men’s questions, she said.

A comprehensive profit and loss statement had been made available to them at each meeting they attended, and the club’s finances were continually being scrutinised by accountants Rangi Williams and Lisa Dodds.  

“If Daryl and Joseph had questions, they could have asked Rangi or Lisa,” Ms Goonan said, adding there was nothing to hide.

The reason the men had been expelled was for breaching committee confidentiality, she said, and the decision to discipline them was made by a sub-committee, chaired by Whakatāne RSA president Victor Hape.  

Ms Goonan said Mr Sheffield had not been confronted by police out of the blue as he claimed. The action to trespass him was taken after he ignored repeated requests to keep to committee rules.

Secretary manager Moana Irving handed to the Ōpōtiki News the hard copy of two emails dated December 10.  

This first email was from the RSA to Mr Gordon, advising him on the outcome of a meeting of the executive committee on December 8.

“The Ōpōtiki County RSA Committee, as a result of your recent actions have resolved unanimously to remove you from the Executive Committee,” it said.

The second email was from Mr Gordon to the RSA, in response to the decision to remove him.

In it he said this would allow him to be exempt from any future investigations of the club.

Mr Gordon added that he had expressed concerns over accountability of the club’s last car raffle and claimed insufficient financial information was being shared with the committee generally.

He also had concerns over certification of weapons held in the small armoury at the club, and what he claimed was its lax adherence to protocols surrounding the daily raising and lowering the flag, and when it was to be flown at half-mast.

Ms Goonan reiterated that Mr Gordon previously had full access to the club’s financials and there was no basis for his other claims.

Ms Goonan said Mr Gordon was not even a current member of the RSA, having failed to renew his financial membership.

The men claimed rules governing the number of meetings required each year showed the club was falling short in this regard, and that auditors had expressed concern over a meagre amount of information supplied for the last annual accounts.

Mr Sheffield said he and Mr Gordon were not seeking publicity on their own behalf, but felt a responsibility to seek accountability from the club.

“This is in light of sacrifices made by fallen soldiers, previous and future members of the club.”

Ms Goonan said the men’s objections were needless and destructive, especially at the present time.

Like sister RSA clubs up and down the country, the Ōpōtiki RSA faced dwindling membership and various challenges just to keep the doors open.

“We are continually looking at new ideas and innovations to keep the doors open.

“We have struggled since losing our contract to supply school lunches last year. This kind of thing does not help to build positive relationships with local businesses and the public,” Ms Goonan said.

Determined to keep doors open

Ōpōtiki RSA responds in a media statement to Ōpōtiki News:

Following on from our meeting with you on Friday; both Joseph Gordon and Daryl Sheffield, are now legally breaching the terms of settlement of the personal grievance, which is confidentiality by involving the media.  

The Ōpōtiki RSA is financially struggling as a result of the Coalition Government cancelling our contract in December 2024 as a supplier of school lunches.  

As a supplier of the school lunches since 2020, we supplied 600 to 700 lunches daily spread across six of our local schools, employed five staff and built strong relationships within the school community.  

Ōpōtiki RSA consider themselves very fortunate to have remained open 12 months on from the cancellation of the school lunches contract, but admits it now faces financial restraints and battles.

The Ōpōtiki RSA stands as a testament to longevity, resilience, and community spirit. For generations, Ōpōtiki RSA has been a central gathering place, honouring the legacy of service and sacrifice while providing ongoing support to veterans, their families, and the wider community.

At the core of our mission is the determination to keep our doors open. This commitment reflects not only the struggles endured by those who came before us, but also the integrity and credibility of our leadership team. Both the president and manager, who are direct descendants of the 28th Māori Battalion, carry forward the values of perseverance, unity, and service.

In the face of real challenges, the Ōpōtiki RSA remains steadfast. We are not just a pillar of remembrance, but a partner – deeply reliant on and thankful for the wider community’s support.

Our leadership team has worked tirelessly, with integrity, to ensure this proud institution continues to serve.

We remain ever determined to find new, consistent revenue streams. Ōpōtiki RSA does not want to join the ranks of other RSAs – Taupō, Te Puke, Tauranga, and most recently Papanui, to name a few that have been forced to close their doors.

The Ōpōtiki RSA is committed to enduring. With the support of our community, we will continue to honour the past, serve the present, and safeguard the future of this proud institution.