Ms Kath Coster, of Christchurch, KSM for services to survivors of abuse in care
Kath Coster (Rangitāne, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa) has been advocating for survivors of abuse for several decades and has been a member and board representative of the New Zealand Collective of Abused in State Care Charitable Trust (NZCAST) since its establishment in 2020. NZCAST is a survivor-led organisation which offers free programmes, educational workshops and support services for survivors of abuse in care and their families. Ms Coster was the third generation of her family to have been placed in state care and has been advocating for survivors of abuse to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions. Drawing on her personal experience of foster care and its impacts on her mental health and relationships, she has advocated to ensure the response to the inquiry accounts for the concerns and interests of all survivors. Ms Coster has provided support to survivors of abuse in care through workshops that focus on healing and growth.