National Vice President Candidate
Janet Castell, MNZM
Candidate Questions
Why do you want to be National Vice President of the RNZRSA?
I am a committed and passionate advocate for the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association, I firmly believe in the organisation's mission and the values it represents. I am dedicated to continuing to strengthen the RNZRSA's role in honouring service and sacrifice, while ensuring the voices and needs of all veterans (both current and former service members) and their families remain at the heart of our work.
My focus is on the RNZRSA's pillars of Advocacy and Support. I am driven to uphold and grow the services that provide practical assistance, connection, and respect to all who have served. My leadership is grounded in the RSA's enduring commitment to the advocacy and care of our veteran community.
Guided by the principle "Honour the dead by supporting the living," I am determined to lead with integrity, compassion, and a forward-looking approach. I recognise the challenges facing today's veteran community and am committed to ensuring the RNZRSA evolves to meet those needs-while remaining firmly rooted in our proud history.
As National Vice President, my vision is to be part of the team that continues to rebuild and strengthen the RNZRSA as a united, inclusive, and resilient organisation-one that continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those it serves.
If you are elected, what do you think the most important aspect of your role would be and why?
I view the RNZRSA National Vice President role as anchored in leadership continuity, collaborative governance, and focused advocacy. From these points, I would prioritise:
- Supporting the National President and providing backup as required: This is foundational. Reliable backing ensures leadership continuity and steady governance when the President is unavailable. Building trust across all functions - the Forum, Board, National Office, and the wider organisation.
- Assist in guiding the President's Forum: Critical for shaping our national direction. I would assist with facilitating inclusive discussions, set clear agendas, translate forum outcomes into actionable priorities that reflect veterans' needs and our strategic goals.
- Providing support to Forum Colleagues: Essential to sustain momentum. I would emphasise mentorship, resource sharing, empowering members to fulfil their roles confidently, fostering collaboration as part of a proactive leadership team.
- Contributing to National Support and Advocacy Projects: Ensures our work delivers real benefits. I would focus on outcomes, align advocacy with evidence, including research conducted by allied nations, assist in developing measures that highlight the impact of those outcomes in order to continue to rebuild and maintain our credibility.
- Responding to the Chief Executive's request for support: A key operational duty. Prompt, reliable assistance bridges governance and management, supporting effective delivery of Advocacy and Support related outcomes.
In short: steady leadership, collaborative guidance, and outcomes-focused Advocacy and Support enable us to serve veterans with integrity and results.
How do you think the RNZRSA can best position itself to support the next generation of veterans?
The RNZRSA's strength lies in its ability to unite veterans of all generations through meaningful support, advocacy, and connection. To best position ourselves for the next generation of veterans, we must modernise our approach while holding fast to our core values of service, camaraderie, and care. The Veteran Support Centre model is a good alternate example of this for RSA's looking to downscale.
First, we should invest in the development and staffing of multi-functional veteran support services that operate both in person and digitally, ensuring local RSAs are equipped to reach veterans wherever they are-whether in major centres, rural communities, or overseas. This means integrating welfare, mental health, employment transition, and family support into a cohesive system, so veterans can access the help they need without having to navigate multiple agencies.
Second, we must succeed in securing a review and rewrite of the Veterans' Support Act 2014, to ensure it reflects the realities of modern service, provides equitable support across all service eras, and is responsive to the changing needs of our people. This legislative reform should be guided by lived experience, robust data, and a clear focus on fairness.
Finally, positioning the RNZRSA for the future means engaging younger veterans early, creating pathways for them to lead within the organisation, and ensuring they see the RSA as a vibrant, relevant, and effective advocate for all who have served. By combining modernised services with strong legislative advocacy, we can ensure the RNZRSA remains the trusted voice and lifeline for veterans-today, and for generations to come.
Candidate Biography/CV
Position: National Vice President
Applicant: Janet Lois Castell, MNZM
DOB: 3 February 1955
Kia ora koutou, I suspect that I need no introduction given that my name has been bandied around the country over the last three years. However, despite best efforts to malign and discredit me I have been encouraged, by those individuals who actually know me and the work I do for the RNZRSA, to stand again for the position of National Vice President.
I was until recently the Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay and East Coast District Vice President and President of the Waipukurau RSA. I have stood down from both positions in accordance with the requirements of the RNZRSA Constitution.
In my term as NVP I have continued my work as a District Support Manager and the RNZRSA National Trainer along with my colleague Rob Todman. In this time was have continued to work to improve the content and delivery of training as well as introducing a new package for Volunteer Support Workers. My passion, as signalled three years ago, remains to support all those who have served.
The NVP role is often overlooked, however my experience has shown that it is an essential role in the organisation. I have seen the role evolve, firstly working alongside Jack Steer and more recently Tony Hill, into one that provides advice, support and sometimes protection of the National President. I am committed to not only support the National President but to continue to guide the Presidents Forum, by assisting with the setting clear agendas, translating forum outcomes into actionable priorities that reflect veterans needs and the RNZRSA Strategic goals.
I am also committed to providing support to Forum Colleagues which is essential to maintain the momentum of the forums work and to create a safe, professional, collegiate environment that allows every members voice to be heard and their opinions respected.
I firmly believe that as a NVP I have a responsibility to contribute to national Support and Advocacy projects to ensure that we as an organisation are delivering the best product and achieving the best outcomes we can for those we serve, being those who have served and their families