Last drinks loom at Kerikeri RSA as club seeks smaller home

The Kerikeri RSA has a bar, restaurant, function centre, house and memorial on Cobham Rd. Photo / File

It could soon be last orders at the Kerikeri RSA; the veterans' club is up for sale as members look for smaller premises.

Like many chartered clubs around the country, the Kerikeri RSA is grappling with falling membership, competition from supermarket alcohol sales and tougher drink-drive limits.

It also faces high overheads such as rates and insurance on a large property which includes a bar, restaurant, function centre and a four-bedroom house.

The whole complex has been put on the market by the Kerikeri RSA Trust, which owns the Cobham Rd land and buildings. Tenders closed on October 5.

A sign on Cobham Rd putting the Kerikeri RSA land and buildings up for tender. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Trust chairman Earl Kingi said no decisions had been made about the future of the RSA and the trust was ''open to all sorts of options''.

His preference would be to move to smaller premises, about the size of the current bar and restaurant, but still close to the town centre so it was easily accessible to older members.

The RSA would retain its ceremonial function and continue to host Anzac Day events.

Kingi said he was disappointed by rumours the RSA was in financial difficulty and had to accept any offer. Its position had in fact improved since last year.

''The RSA is sill paying its bills and can carry on for a good while yet,'' he said.

Clubs around the country, however, were facing challenges. In some places, RSAs were sharing buildings and staff with, for example, bowling and Cosmopolitan clubs.

''The world's changing but we have to think about our members. They still want somewhere safe to have a drink and a meal, and talk with their friends in a club environment.''

Kerikeri RSA Inc operates the bar and restaurant and leases the building from the Kerikeri RSA Trust.

Members of Kerikeri RSA Inc didn't want to comment while the outcome of the tender process wasn't known. They are due to get an update from the trust at their next meeting tomorrow evening. The land immediately in front of the RSA was sold to a developer some years ago and more recently on-sold to Metlifecare, which owns the neighbouring Oakridge Villas retirement complex.

The RSA's other neighbour is the Turner Centre, whose chairman, John Law, last year floated the idea of a privately funded, four- to five-storey boutique hotel on the RSA site. If it went ahead, the RSA might be able to use one floor of the building, he said.