Mr Rū Amato, of Wairoa, KSO for services to survivors of abuse in care
Rū Amato (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngā Ariki Kaiputahi) has been a Board Member of the Waikato branch of Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse. He has been an advocate for takatāpui and rainbow community survivors and has used his personal experience at St Joseph’s School in Wairoa to advocate for male survivors of sexual abuse by priests. He has represented the rainbow community for Out at Work, a support network for LGBTQI+ workers advocating for inclusivity at work sites. Mr Amato is a member of the ‘Survivor Advisory Group of Experts’ for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, where he has advocated to ensure the concerns and interests of all survivors, including those from rainbow communities, are accounted for.