Elite Northern Club proposes crackdown on slow-paying members

The document also proposes new crackdowns on members who are tardy with their payments, including a name-and-shame mechanism.

Some members in arrears could be “deprived of all the privileges of the Club until payment is made, and the name of the member may be posted in the Clubhouse as a defaulter”.

If arrears are still unpaid a month later, the member “shall cease to be a member” and their name “shall be erased from the roll of members”.

The Northern Club proposes to ban members from privileges if they don’t pay their subs within three months. Photo / Anna Heath

However, the committee may reinstate the member within three months if a satisfactory explanation is provided and all outstanding debts are paid.

In those cases, payments will be direct debit only – to reduce the administrative burden of recovering overdue accounts.

“Regrettably, from time to time, a small number of members fail to meet their financial commitments when due,” Cooke said.

“Overdue amounts can total in the tens of thousands of dollars in some months.”

Auckland’s elite club started life in 1869 as a gentlemen’s club and only opened its doors to women in 1990.

Joanna Cooke, General Manager of the Northern Club, said that in some months, overdue amounts have totalled tens of thousands of dollars.

Its website says it now has more than 2000 members drawn from the professional and business worlds, and that admission is not based on gender, wealth or ancestry.

The club’s distinctive 156-year-old quarry stone building in Auckland’s CBD — listed as a Category 1 site by Heritage New Zealand — is perhaps best known for its charming “ivy curtain”.

But the picturesque Virginia creeper on the building’s exterior has been damaging the historic clubhouse, compromising its facade.

Without urgent repairs, deterioration is expected to worsen, potentially causing water ingress and structural damage, and sections of the building could be at risk of falling on to the street.

As such, it is proposed that all members make a compulsory contribution to the Northern Club Building Foundation of $300 twice yearly for five years for ordinary members, and $150 twice yearly for all other subscription groups.

The Northern Club’s Virginia creeper-clad exterior has been damaging the historic clubhouse, compromising the facade. Photo / Composite

Previous voluntary levies raised approximately $1.3 million.

That funding has already enabled the Princes St facade to be cleared of ivy, steam-cleaned, inspected, repaired and replastered.

About $950,000 has been spent or allocated for the Princes St facade and iron fencing, and it is estimated that the total preservation and repair cost will be “in the order of $3.6 million”.

The Northern Club’s restoration costs ,total preservation and repair bill is estimated to be around $3.6 billion. Photo / Anna Heath.

Members have been invited to drinks and canapes next Wednesday to celebrate the completion of the restoration.

Club member Anne Batley-Burton, star of Real Housewives of Auckland and “celebrity cat lady” is a regular at the Northern Club.

“It’s lovely — when you walk in, you’re welcomed at the door; they know your name, you feel safe, and they know exactly what you want. I don’t want black pepper on my food; I like my baby cos salad and avocado in a certain place— they know everyone’s quirks.

“I don’t mind paying maintenance fees for the building; it’s historic, after all. Everybody loves the ivy, but it’s caused a lot of damage. It has lost a little of its charm without it — maybe they could use faux ivy. Being short-sighted, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but I don’t know what the club would think of my suggestion,” Batley-Burton said.

Former star of Real Housewives of Auckland and “celebrity cat lady” Anne Batley-Burton is a regular at the Northern Club. She says maybe the building could be covered in faux ivy. Photo / Michael Craig.

Her message to members who haven’t paid their subs: “Hurry and pay up, otherwise you’re out!”

Former chief executive of the Auckland Business Chamber, Michael Barnett, said he was unaware of any increases in membership subscriptions or outstanding debts.

“I think the membership issue begs the question of whether it’s a sign of the times. Cost-of-living pressures are affecting both ends of our economy.

“It’s all about belonging. Charging members for additional fees and repairs is all well and good, but being innovative and creative in attracting and retaining members — and keeping them engaged so they generate revenue — should be on the agenda. That’s what will keep it alive. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the Northern Club or the Chamber of Commerce.”

In the latest Northern Club newsletter, members can learn how to prepare and assemble a beef wellington from an Executive Chef. Photo / Supplied

In the Northern Club’s latest newsletter obtained by the Herald, members are invited to listen to fellow member, Dr Daniel McGown, discuss Parkinson’s Disease, sneak a peek at fashion designer Caitlin Chrisp’s winter collection, go to a wine tasting at Kumeu River to celebrate International Chardonnay Day or learn how to prepare and assemble a Beef Wellington with executive chef Russell Cameron.

The final item on the agenda for the annual meeting is the proposed appointment of new president, Jacqui Bensemann — the first woman to hold the role since Victoria Carter in 2018.

Michael Barnett, former chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Business, says it’s great to have a new female president.

Barnett, who was cycling through the Barossa Valley on a wine tour when contacted by the Herald, is pleased there will be another woman as president.

“I think it’s great. There should be no barriers, and it shows the club believes in diversity and in appointing the best person for the job. The values of the Northern Club enable that.”

Jacqui Bensemann was proposed for president by Simon Moore, KC.

Batley-Burton approved of Bensemann as president. “Jacqui is super intelligent and runs a big business. She is very competent and loads of fun, I am very happy for her to be president,” she said.

Fletcher Pilditch, KC, is up for vice-president, proposed by Bensemann.

Six vacancies on the committee are proposed to be filled by Anna Coppage, Jourdan Griffin, Nicholas Francis, Nicholas Cashmore, Tom McGarry and Amanda Stanes.

They were all proposed by Arthur J Morris, the current president, who declined to comment.

The Real Housewives of Auckland reality star Anne Batley-Burton (left front) says Jacqui Bensemann, the proposed new president of the Northern Club, is “super intelligent and loads of fun”.

Cooke declined to answer questions from the Herald about how much money was currently owed to the club, whether the cost-of-living crisis had affected members’ ability to pay their subscriptions on time, whether the building should be covered in faux ivy, and why it had taken eight years to appoint another female president.

In an email, Cooke said: “As you are aware, we are a private members’ club and therefore do not comment on club matters”.

Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist who won Best Documentary at the Voyager Media Awards in 2022. She worked for the Herald on Sunday from 2007-2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ’s 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.