Nate Wilbourne

Nate Wilbourne (born 17 March 2008) is a New Zealand environmentalist, activist, speaker, and photographer. He has worked for environmental organisations, working on both regional and national levels. Wilbourne is recognised for his contribution to his local community as a conservationist.

Biography
Wilbourne lives in Nelson, and was born on 17 March 2008. He grew up in the suburb of Brightwater, where he attended the local primary school.

At 12 years old, he transitioned to a plant-based diet after learning that farming was responsible for nearly half of New Zealand’s emissions each year.

Wilbourne is the founder of 'Gen-Z Aotearoa' a youth-led organisation who "use the power of social media to drive positive change."

In 2022, Wilbourne was a speaker at TEDxNelson and gave a TEDx talk titled 'The Power Of Connecting Young People To Nature'. 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, from the 29th of January to the 2nd of February, on "Intergenerational Action for Biodiversity."

Education
Wilbourne attended Garin College, where he was the Enviroschools Captain. During his studies at Garin College he was awarded a 'Sustainability Champion' scholarship to study a two-year International Baccalaureate (IBDP) program at UWC Robert Bosch College in Germany.

Environmental and climate activism
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. His conservation work also includes helping boost the number of Kororā (Little Penguins/Blue Penguins) and Tītī (Sooty Shearwaters) in the area. 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 is now up to 40 youth supporting the hub. Wilbourne has worked with School Strike 4 Climate New Zealand and is a current spokesperson. He organised his local climate strike in March 2023, which mobilised local students and handed an open letter to Nelson Mayor Nick Smith. Wilbourne was mentioned in RNZ's story: 'Climate Strikes: Thousands march around New Zealand to demand action'.

In December 2022, Wilbourne was a panellist for Save the Children New Zealand's youth panel that interviewed Climate Change Minister James Shaw ahead of COP27.

Political views
He is a member of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.

He is an advocate for turning his home city, Nelson into a Climate-resilient city, that incorporates Mātauranga Māori, affordable housing, and green spaces. He also advocates for more cycleways in his community. Wilbourne criticised the ACT party's plan to introduce a 'Treaty Principles Bill' that would re-define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, stating that "ACT preys on Pākehā fear, capitalising on the ignorance and misunderstanding of Te Tiriti."

Awards and recognition

 * Impact Award 2023 – Climate category semi-finalist
 * Keep New Zealand Beautiful 2023 – Young Legend Award
 * Te Kaiārahi Rangatahi o te Taiao - Forest & Bird's Youth Award