Nate Wilbourne (born 17 March 2008) is a New Zealand youth advocate and environmentalist. He is recognised internationally[vague] for his work on youth and environmental advocacy and policy across New Zealand, Europe, and parts of Asia.[1][2][3][4]
Wilbourne was born on 17 March 2008 and lives in Nelson.[2] He grew up in the suburb of Brightwater, where he attended the local primary school.[6] At 12 years old, he adopted a plant-based diet after learning that farming was responsible for nearly half of New Zealand's gas emissions each year.[4]
Wilbourne is the founder of 'Gen-Z Aotearoa' a youth-led advocacy organisation which "use[s] the power of social media to drive positive change."[7][8]
Starting in 2026 Wilbourne will be a student at Victoria University Wellington, studying a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts majoring in Development studies and International relations.[1][13]
In 2023 and 2024, Wilbourne took part in the translocation of 198 fluttering shearwater chicks to the Wharariki Ecosanctuary, a predator-proof fenced sanctuary established by HealthPost Nature Trust at the northern-most point of the South Island. The translocation was part of a three-year plan to translocate a total of 250 fluttering shearwater chicks to the sanctuary.[14][15][16][17][18] His conservation work also includes helping boost the number of kororā (little penguins) and tītī (sooty shearwaters) in the area.[4]
At 13 years old, Wilbourne became involved with Forest & Bird Youth. To get young people involved in conservation within his region, he set up a 'Youth Hub.' There are now up to 40 young people supporting the hub.[19][20][21][4] He has also volunteered for conservation work in places like Farewell Spit, and advocated for environmental NGOs like Forest and Bird.[1]
In 2024, Wilbourne was invited to speak at the Youth Environmental Education Congress (YEEC) as part of the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) in Abu Dhabi, on "Intergenerational Action for Biodiversity".[22]
Wilbourne was a speaker at the 2024 LCOY Germany conference, Europe's largest climate summit for young people, hosted in Berlin in October in the lead up to COP29.[28]
Political advocacy
Wilbourne is an advocate for sustainable urban development in his home city of Nelson, promoting climate resilience through initiatives that integrate Mātauranga Māori, affordable housing, and green spaces.[29] He has also supported expanding cycleway infrastructure to create more sustainable transport options in his community. [30]
On constitutional issues, he has criticised the ACT Party's proposed Treaty Principles Bill, arguing that it seeks to redefine the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and accusing ACT of exploiting "Pākehā fear and misunderstanding of Te Tiriti".[31] Additionally, he has voiced support for lowering the voting age to 16, contending that doing so would enhance youth political participation.[32]
In 2025 Wilbourne was representative in New Zealand's Youth Parliament, advocating for environmental protection and youth political engagement. He delivered a speech criticising the government's environmental policies, which he framed as a "war on nature", while also raising concerns about censorship after Youth MPs were instructed to avoid direct criticism of ministers in their speeches.[33][34] The speech reached over 100,000 people across New Zealand online.[1].
Other work
In 2022, Wilbourne was a speaker at TEDxNelson and gave a TEDx talk titled 'The Power Of Connecting Young People To Nature'.[3][35][36]
On 16th October 2024, Wilbourne spoke at a World Food Day event at the Hohenheim Palace in Stuttgart, on the topic of building sustainable food systems from the perspective of young people. Other speakers included Rwanda's former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources Agnes Kalibata.[37]
Wilbourne has done youth engagement work with global civil society organisation, The World Future Council, Save the Children NZ, NetSafe and the Make It 16 campaign to lower the voting age.[1]
Awards and recognition
Impact Award 2023 – Climate category semi-finalist[38]
Keep New Zealand Beautiful 2023 – Young Legend Award[39][40]
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