I think you're on a hiding to nothing if you want clubs to give up spots in leagues for "respect". Similar to if my job tried to pay me in experience. Its nice in theory but not gonna happen.
I've seen a couple of Rapa and United games and yes, they have approached it differently. Rapa has a bit of a head start though, given they were able to hold onto their academy where United couldn't really. Guess I personally feel that respect and results are closely tied together. I doubt United are going out of their way to "disrespect" anyone and are doing their best with the cards they've been dealt. I'm also sure this season has gone worse than they envisaged when making the decision to stay in Central League.
Team Taranaki is a completely different kettle of fish, no point comparing apples and oranges. Representative side vs club rebuild. Irrelevant.