Nate Wilbourne

Nate Wilbourne (born 17 March 2008) is a New Zealand youth advocate and environmentalist. He works on youth and environmental advocacy and policy across New Zealand, Europe, and parts of Asia.

He was a semi-finalist for the 2025 and 2026 Young New Zealander of the Year award and is a part of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Class of 2026. He is the Future Generations Lead at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa, leading the campaign for a Future Generations Act.

Biography Wilbourne was born on 17 March 2008 and lives in Nelson. 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.

He is a member of the New Zealand Labour Party, and was selected to be Hon. Damien O'Connor's Youth MP at the 2025 New Zealand Youth Parliament. 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.

Currently, he is a student at Victoria University Wellington, studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Development studies and International relations.

Advocacy and career

Future Generations Act He is the Future Generations Lead at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa, leading the campaign for a Future Generations Act in New Zealand. He commented on polling conducted in August 2026 which showed that 82% of New Zealanders support a law requiring governments to consider the long-term impacts of their decisions on future generations when they develop laws and policies. His conservation work also includes helping boost the number of kororā (little penguins) and tītī (sooty shearwaters) in the area.

Climate justice activism Wilbourne has worked with School Strike 4 Climate New Zealand. He organised his local climate strike in March 2023, mobilising local students and handing an open letter to Nelson Mayor Nick Smith.

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.

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.

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. He has also supported expanding cycleway infrastructure to create more sustainable transport options in his community.

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". Additionally, he has voiced support for lowering the voting age to 16, contending that doing so would enhance youth political participation.

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.

Other work In 2022, Wilbourne was a speaker at TEDxNelson and gave a TEDx talk titled 'The Power Of Connecting Young People To Nature'.

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.

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. In April 2026, he was invited by the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council to attend the Youth Forum at the United Nations Headquaters in New York. Keep New Zealand Beautiful 2023 – Young Legend Award Te Kaiārahi Rangatahi o te Taiao – Forest & Bird's Youth Award 2025 Young New Zealander of the Year – Semi-finalist 2026 Young New Zealander of the Year – Semi-finalist