From a steering committee assembled in June 1986 to decades of dinners, mystery trips, race meetings, Christmas parties and friendships, the story of North Harbour Tripe N Onions is about considerably more than what was on the plate.
The earliest surviving club history records a steering committee on 10 June 1986. Howard Foote was acting President, joined by Richard Midson, Robin Hunter, Ron Williams, Victor Sinclair, Stan Hartnell, Ken Swann, Ann Haldane and Debbie Thomas.
The document identifies 26 June 1986 at the Cosi Club as the first meeting.
The organisation appears to have grown quickly. On 5 August 1986, little more than a month after the stated first meeting, membership was already recorded at 114 people.
A recollection published in the May 2021 newsletter adds the human detail: Ron Williams placed an advertisement in the North Shore Times inviting interest, about 30 people responded, and the new club settled on the last Thursday of each month. Williams then served as treasurer from the club's beginning until May 2021.
The date remained part of the club's own memory: the May 2019 newsletter also named 10 June 1986 as the club's start, and the following issue celebrated 33 years with a birthday cake.
Recorded 10 June 1986.
The surviving history records five principal meeting places between the club's beginning in 1986 and its move to Birkenhead RSA in 2008.
More recent records and the RSA itself show that Birkenhead became much more than another stop: it became the club's long-term home.
Ross Nunn's history preserves an unusually detailed record of club excursions. Some were straightforward outings. Others were mystery trips, race meetings or large social occasions.
28 January — Poanamo
21 March — MOTAT
Described in the archive as a
“Mad Hat Mystery Trip”.
73 people attended.
23 February — Waiwera
44 present.
27 April — Langtons
64 present.
24 September — MOTAT
24 November — Langtons Christmas Party
A major early gathering with
100 people attending.
29 March — “Paraki hot pools”
27 September — Birdcage
Historical venue names and spellings above have generally been preserved as they appear in the surviving club record.
Alongside the big events are small details that say just as much about what club life was actually like: takeaway tripe, club clothing, badge colours and, eventually, a pudding that became part of the institution.
Only a handful of formal membership counts survive in this document, but the numbers show a substantial organisation from very early in its life.
The early history sheet became a miniature price ledger. Later handwritten figures, booking slips and newsletters carry the comparison forward into the club's recent years.
| Date | Members | Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1986 | $8 | — | Earliest price recorded |
| 5 Nov 1986 | $9 | $11 | |
| 18 Dec 1986 | $15 | $17 | Christmas party |
| 1 Jul 1987 | $10 | $12 | |
| 30 Mar 1992 | $12 | — | |
| 24 Jun 2004 | $15 | $17 | Later handwritten entry |
| 6 Dec 2006 | $20 | $25 | Later handwritten entry |
| 11 Jan 2007 | $15 | $17 | Later handwritten entry |
| 26 Nov 2009 | $20 | $27 | Added after the document was compiled |
| 29 Jul 2010 | $20 | $25 | Latest clearly dated handwritten entry |
| 28 Feb 2019 | $17.50 | $20.50 | Regular club dinner |
| 25 Jul 2019 | $25 | $28 | AGM and banquet |
| 26 Nov 2020 | $28.50 | $33 | Christmas banquet |
| 29 Feb 2024 | $34 | $36 | Regular club dinner |
| 28 Nov 2024 | $36 | $38 | Christmas dessert included |
An additional handwritten $15 / $20 entry appears on the original sheet without a clearly readable date and has therefore not been assigned to the timeline. Figures from 2019 onward come from the supplied monthly newsletters.
RNZ's Afternoons visited the North Harbour Tripe 'n' Onion Club and spoke with Robin Hunter.
RNZ reported that more than 100 people attended most meetings at Birkenhead RSA and that members gathered for tripe prepared three different ways, followed by bread & butter pudding.
That last detail provides a particularly nice link back to the club record: bread & butter pudding had first been noted there on 1 June 1988.
Filmmaker Beth Phillips captured the club in a 17-minute documentary simply titled Tripe Club.
The film focuses on longstanding President Robin Hunter and on the fellowship, belonging and eccentricity that had developed around the club.
The film received its New Zealand premiere at Doc Edge in 2019, screened at Auckland Art Gallery, and was also selected for the 2019 Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival.
The documentary subsequently appeared through the New Zealand Herald, introducing the club to another audience as a roughly 100-strong North Shore group united by one particularly distinctive taste.
A June advertising proposal set out a small, locally targeted digital billboard trial. Newsletters later recorded club artwork appearing at bus stops and Glenfield Mall, supported by new tickets, placemats, vouchers and the tripeclub.nz website.
In July, an AM segment in which Nicky Styris talked about the club produced a jump in website visits and several enquiries. Later in the year, a Breakfast crew filmed both a club dinner and an early-morning tripe tasting.
The October newsletter noted that the Breakfast item went to air, although the club-night footage was not used in the broadcast. The club requested that material for its own website archive.
Stuff reporter Lloyd Burr joined the club for its March dinner, following the meal from the kitchen to the table. Burr and vice-president Marc Anderson both took part in a first taste of tripe.
By May, the newsletter reported that the resulting Stuff story and television appearance had brought new enquiries to the club.
Newsletters and committee records from 2019 onward show how the club kept its familiar last-Thursday rhythm while responding to lockdowns, changing caterers, new technology and the work of bringing another generation through the doors.
The May newsletter preserved 10 June 1986 as the club's founding date, with cake marking 33 years at the June dinner. Later that year former club chef Geoff published A Load of Tripe, a book promoted through the monthly newsletter and sold to members.
Lockdowns repeatedly postponed the AGM and 34th birthday. A Level 1 dinner brought members back in June, an August cancellation followed under Level 3, and the delayed AGM and birthday cake finally took place at the October gathering.
A redesigned monthly newsletter began in February. In May, founding treasurer Ron Williams was farewelled from the role after 35 years of service. The July dinner marked the club's 35th birthday with cake, before Auckland's later lockdowns interrupted the meeting calendar.
Vaccination passes and masks still shaped the early meetings, while the RSA took over catering and the club opened a new Facebook page. Birthday month retained one of the club's most distinctive ceremonies: piping in the tripe.
The new tripeclub.nz website was joined by branded tickets, placemats and vouchers. A membership campaign reached bus stops and Glenfield Mall, while newsletters began recording member stories and monthly photographs.
Attendance held around the mid-40s early in the year and reached 52 people in August. Television mentions, community flyers and word of mouth brought new faces, while peace-crane, spring and T-shirt themes kept the monthly programme lively. A new caterer began in October.
A Stuff visit and subsequent television appearance generated new enquiries. Through catering changes, member surveys and themed evenings, the core pattern endured: tripe in several styles, alternative meals, raffles, badges and conversation.
At the June AGM, 39 members adopted the club's first formal constitution. The signed document went online, historical photo albums began to be digitised, and the July dinner marked the club's fortieth year with birthday cake and a roomful of "Happy Birthday".
On 26 June 2026, forty years had passed since the first meeting recorded in the club history. The following month's dinner carried the celebration forward with the traditional birthday cake and everyone singing "Happy Birthday".
Meeting places have changed. Prices have changed. Membership has risen and fallen, and generations of members have come through the doors. Yet the basic idea recorded in those early papers remains remarkably recognisable: get people together, put a meal in front of them, and give them a reason to keep coming back.
Much of the early chronology on this page comes from a surviving document titled North Harbour Tripe “N” Onion Clubs “Moments in History”.
It was compiled by Ross Nunn and dated 23 August 2009.
Handwritten additions show that the document continued to be used after it was compiled, including meal-price annotations dated November 2009 and July 2010. It is therefore both a history and, in a small way, a working club record.
This history is a living archive. It has been assembled from surviving North Harbour Tripe N Onions club records, contemporary media coverage, community publications and the club's modern records. As additional photographs, minutes, programmes and recollections are recovered, the story can continue to be expanded.
From a steering committee assembled in June 1986 to decades of dinners, mystery trips, race meetings, Christmas parties and friendships, the story of North Harbour Tripe N Onions is about considerably more than what was on the plate.
The earliest surviving club history records a steering committee on 10 June 1986. Howard Foote was acting President, joined by Richard Midson, Robin Hunter, Ron Williams, Victor Sinclair, Stan Hartnell, Ken Swann, Ann Haldane and Debbie Thomas.
The document identifies 26 June 1986 at the Cosi Club as the first meeting.
The organisation appears to have grown quickly. On 5 August 1986, little more than a month after the stated first meeting, membership was already recorded at 114 people.
A recollection published in the May 2021 newsletter adds the human detail: Ron Williams placed an advertisement in the North Shore Times inviting interest, about 30 people responded, and the new club settled on the last Thursday of each month. Williams then served as treasurer from the club's beginning until May 2021.
The date remained part of the club's own memory: the May 2019 newsletter also named 10 June 1986 as the club's start, and the following issue celebrated 33 years with a birthday cake.
Recorded 10 June 1986.
The surviving history records five principal meeting places between the club's beginning in 1986 and its move to Birkenhead RSA in 2008.
More recent records and the RSA itself show that Birkenhead became much more than another stop: it became the club's long-term home.
Ross Nunn's history preserves an unusually detailed record of club excursions. Some were straightforward outings. Others were mystery trips, race meetings or large social occasions.
28 January — Poanamo
21 March — MOTAT
Described in the archive as a
“Mad Hat Mystery Trip”.
73 people attended.
23 February — Waiwera
44 present.
27 April — Langtons
64 present.
24 September — MOTAT
24 November — Langtons Christmas Party
A major early gathering with
100 people attending.
29 March — “Paraki hot pools”
27 September — Birdcage
Historical venue names and spellings above have generally been preserved as they appear in the surviving club record.
Alongside the big events are small details that say just as much about what club life was actually like: takeaway tripe, club clothing, badge colours and, eventually, a pudding that became part of the institution.
Only a handful of formal membership counts survive in this document, but the numbers show a substantial organisation from very early in its life.
The early history sheet became a miniature price ledger. Later handwritten figures, booking slips and newsletters carry the comparison forward into the club's recent years.
| Date | Members | Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1986 | $8 | — | Earliest price recorded |
| 5 Nov 1986 | $9 | $11 | |
| 18 Dec 1986 | $15 | $17 | Christmas party |
| 1 Jul 1987 | $10 | $12 | |
| 30 Mar 1992 | $12 | — | |
| 24 Jun 2004 | $15 | $17 | Later handwritten entry |
| 6 Dec 2006 | $20 | $25 | Later handwritten entry |
| 11 Jan 2007 | $15 | $17 | Later handwritten entry |
| 26 Nov 2009 | $20 | $27 | Added after the document was compiled |
| 29 Jul 2010 | $20 | $25 | Latest clearly dated handwritten entry |
| 28 Feb 2019 | $17.50 | $20.50 | Regular club dinner |
| 25 Jul 2019 | $25 | $28 | AGM and banquet |
| 26 Nov 2020 | $28.50 | $33 | Christmas banquet |
| 29 Feb 2024 | $34 | $36 | Regular club dinner |
| 28 Nov 2024 | $36 | $38 | Christmas dessert included |
An additional handwritten $15 / $20 entry appears on the original sheet without a clearly readable date and has therefore not been assigned to the timeline. Figures from 2019 onward come from the supplied monthly newsletters.
RNZ's Afternoons visited the North Harbour Tripe 'n' Onion Club and spoke with Robin Hunter.
RNZ reported that more than 100 people attended most meetings at Birkenhead RSA and that members gathered for tripe prepared three different ways, followed by bread & butter pudding.
That last detail provides a particularly nice link back to the club record: bread & butter pudding had first been noted there on 1 June 1988.
Filmmaker Beth Phillips captured the club in a 17-minute documentary simply titled Tripe Club.
The film focuses on longstanding President Robin Hunter and on the fellowship, belonging and eccentricity that had developed around the club.
The film received its New Zealand premiere at Doc Edge in 2019, screened at Auckland Art Gallery, and was also selected for the 2019 Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival.
The documentary subsequently appeared through the New Zealand Herald, introducing the club to another audience as a roughly 100-strong North Shore group united by one particularly distinctive taste.
A June advertising proposal set out a small, locally targeted digital billboard trial. Newsletters later recorded club artwork appearing at bus stops and Glenfield Mall, supported by new tickets, placemats, vouchers and the tripeclub.nz website.
In July, an AM segment in which Nicky Styris talked about the club produced a jump in website visits and several enquiries. Later in the year, a Breakfast crew filmed both a club dinner and an early-morning tripe tasting.
The October newsletter noted that the Breakfast item went to air, although the club-night footage was not used in the broadcast. The club requested that material for its own website archive.
Stuff reporter Lloyd Burr joined the club for its March dinner, following the meal from the kitchen to the table. Burr and vice-president Marc Anderson both took part in a first taste of tripe.
By May, the newsletter reported that the resulting Stuff story and television appearance had brought new enquiries to the club.
Newsletters and committee records from 2019 onward show how the club kept its familiar last-Thursday rhythm while responding to lockdowns, changing caterers, new technology and the work of bringing another generation through the doors.
The May newsletter preserved 10 June 1986 as the club's founding date, with cake marking 33 years at the June dinner. Later that year former club chef Geoff published A Load of Tripe, a book promoted through the monthly newsletter and sold to members.
Lockdowns repeatedly postponed the AGM and 34th birthday. A Level 1 dinner brought members back in June, an August cancellation followed under Level 3, and the delayed AGM and birthday cake finally took place at the October gathering.
A redesigned monthly newsletter began in February. In May, founding treasurer Ron Williams was farewelled from the role after 35 years of service. The July dinner marked the club's 35th birthday with cake, before Auckland's later lockdowns interrupted the meeting calendar.
Vaccination passes and masks still shaped the early meetings, while the RSA took over catering and the club opened a new Facebook page. Birthday month retained one of the club's most distinctive ceremonies: piping in the tripe.
The new tripeclub.nz website was joined by branded tickets, placemats and vouchers. A membership campaign reached bus stops and Glenfield Mall, while newsletters began recording member stories and monthly photographs.
Attendance held around the mid-40s early in the year and reached 52 people in August. Television mentions, community flyers and word of mouth brought new faces, while peace-crane, spring and T-shirt themes kept the monthly programme lively. A new caterer began in October.
A Stuff visit and subsequent television appearance generated new enquiries. Through catering changes, member surveys and themed evenings, the core pattern endured: tripe in several styles, alternative meals, raffles, badges and conversation.
At the June AGM, 39 members adopted the club's first formal constitution. The signed document went online, historical photo albums began to be digitised, and the July dinner marked the club's fortieth year with birthday cake and a roomful of "Happy Birthday".
On 26 June 2026, forty years had passed since the first meeting recorded in the club history. The following month's dinner carried the celebration forward with the traditional birthday cake and everyone singing "Happy Birthday".
Meeting places have changed. Prices have changed. Membership has risen and fallen, and generations of members have come through the doors. Yet the basic idea recorded in those early papers remains remarkably recognisable: get people together, put a meal in front of them, and give them a reason to keep coming back.
Much of the early chronology on this page comes from a surviving document titled North Harbour Tripe “N” Onion Clubs “Moments in History”.
It was compiled by Ross Nunn and dated 23 August 2009.
Handwritten additions show that the document continued to be used after it was compiled, including meal-price annotations dated November 2009 and July 2010. It is therefore both a history and, in a small way, a working club record.
This history is a living archive. It has been assembled from surviving North Harbour Tripe N Onions club records, contemporary media coverage, community publications and the club's modern records. As additional photographs, minutes, programmes and recollections are recovered, the story can continue to be expanded.
