Nate Wilbourne (born 17 March 2008) is a New Zealand environmentalist, activist, speaker, and photographer. He has worked for environmental organisations since 2020, 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 Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, and was born on 17 March 2008. He grew up in the suburb of

Brightwater Brightwater (Māori language, Māori: ''Wairoa'') is a town southwest of Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson in Tasman Region, Tasman district in the South Island of New Zealand. It stands on the banks of the Wairoa River, Tasman, Wairoa River. Bright ...

, where he attended the local primary school. He is a current student at

Garin College Garin College is a New Zealand Catholic, integrated, co-educational day and boarding secondary school in Nelson on the northern outskirts of Richmond. The college opened on 28 January 2002 to serve the Catholic community, particularly in the upp ...

, where he is the Enviroschools Captain. In 2022, Wilbourne was a speaker at TEDxNelson and gave a

TEDx talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

titled 'The Power Of Connecting Young People To Nature'. He is a member of the

Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ( mi, Rōpū Kākāriki o Aotearoa, Niu Tireni), commonly known as the Greens, is a green and left-wing political party in New Zealand. Like many green parties around the world, it has four organisational ...

youth wing A youth wing is a subsidiary, autonomous, or independently allied front of a larger organization (usually a political party but occasionally another type of organization) that is formed in order to rally support for that organization from members ...

and the Motueka Branch.

Work for the environment, climate, and community

Environment

In 2023, Wilbourne took part in the translocation of 56

fluttering shearwater The fluttering shearwater (''Puffinus gavia'') is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and migrates to Australia and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores. It has been ...

chicks to the

Wharariki Ecosanctuary Wharariki Ecosanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary within a predator-proof fence at Cape Farewell, New Zealand. Location The Wharariki Ecosanctuary is located on a headland on the Wharariki coastline at Cape Farewell. It is sited on conservation l ...

, a predator-proof fenced sanctuary established by HealthPost Nature Trust at the northern-most point of the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. The translocation was part of a three-year plan to translocate a total of 250 fluttering shearwater chicks to the sanctuary. Around the same time, Wilbourne set up a 'youth hub' in his local area, to get young people involved in conservation with the New Zealand organisation,

Forest & Bird Forest & Bird ( mi, Te Reo o te Taiao), also known by its formal name as the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, is an environmental organisation specialising in the protection and conservation of New Zealand's indigenous f ...

. The hub now has over 30 youth supporting the hub. In April 2023, Wilbourne attended

BLAKE Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

Inspire in the

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

, New Zealand. BLAKE Inspire is a week long leadership program, where young environmental leaders from across New Zealand work alongside environmental scientists. One of Wilbourne's photos of a

long-tailed cuckoo The Pacific long-tailed cuckoo (''Urodynamis taitensis''), also known as the long-tailed cuckoo, long-tailed koel, sparrow hawk, home owl, screecher, screamer or in Māori, is a species of the Cuculidae bird family (the cuckoos). It is a migrat ...

is shown in RNZ's

Critter of the Week ''Critter of the Week'' is a weekly RNZ National programme about endangered and neglected native plants and animals of New Zealand. Beginning in 2015, ''Critter of the Week'' is an approximately 15-minute discussion between Nicola Toki of the ...

Climate

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 Cop or Cops commonly refers to: * Police officer Cop and other variants may also refer to: Art and entertainment Film * ''Cop'' (film), a 1988 American thriller * ''Cops'' (film), an American silent comedy short starring Buster Keaton * ''The ...

Community

Wilbourne has been involved with the 'Streets for People' project led by

Tasman District Council Tasman District Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere) is the unitary local authority for the Tasman District of New Zealand. The council is led by the mayor of Tasman, who is currently . Tasman elects its 13 councillors from five differ ...

, in which he "provided input for the Richmond Streets for People Project". The project has received $2.4 million in Government funding and support to re-design several local streets to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Wilbourne was a panellist at the 'MILKED' screening in Nelson, a documentary that exposes New Zealand's agricultural industry.

Awards and recognition

* Impact Award 2023 – Climate category semi-finalist * Keep New Zealand Beautiful 2023 – Young Legend Award

References

External links

Official website

Nate Wilbourne
on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilbourne, Nate 2000s births Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Nelson, New Zealand New Zealand conservationists New Zealand climate activists New Zealand child activists Youth climate activists People educated at Garin College New Zealand activists New Zealand environmentalists New Zealand photographers