Nelson pair named in Forbes' prestigious 30 Under 30 list

Wednesday, 3 June 2026

Two young Nelson go-getters are celebrating after being named in a Forbes Magazine list of the 30 most promising and impactful individuals under 30 in Asia-Pacific.

Nate Wilbourne, 18, and Bex Gidall, 29, were both named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list. The annual list honours 300 young people from across 10 categories, recognising their stand-out work in entrepreneurship, science, media, sport, the arts and other fields.

Wilbourne, a former Brightwater Primary School and Garin College student, was recognised in the Social Impact category after co-founding Gen-Z Aotearoa - a social media led movement that encourages young New Zealanders to address issues such as climate change, environmental conservation and social justice.

He said it was “quite a shock” and he was “blown away” when he discovered he been named in this year’s list.

“It’s incredibly humbling to be recognised for my work and social impact and I’m grateful to know that my work actually makes a difference out there in the world,” he said.

Wilbourne, who recently spoke at the United Nations Economic and Social Council conference at the UN Headquarters in New York, said he decided launch Gen-Z Aotearoa after realising many young people wanted get involved in their communities but they often felt left out from the “important decision making spaces”.

“I was just trying to help and empower young people to make a difference and also to work with organisations and businesses to engage with young people and find ways to use social media to create change,” he said.

Wilbourne, who is currently studying International Relations and Development Studies at Victoria University while also being selected as a Youth Member of Parliament, said he had “no clue” to which way his future career may take him.

“I’m just living in the moment at the minute,” he said.

“I’ve got a few more years at university and then it’s just seeing what crops up for me– whether that could be going into Parliament one day, or working overseas doing foreign affairs work or international environmental policy– there’s a whole world out there.”

Gidall, an entrepreneur who attended Nelson College for Girls, was recognised in the Finance and Venture Capital category and said it was “genuinely humbling” to have been included in the list.

She is a principal at Icehouse Ventures, a New Zealand-focused venture capital firm with over $1 billion in assets under management. She joined the firm in 2021 as an analyst and rose up the ranks to become principal in November 2025.

“I'd say more than anything, it's really felt like recognition of the incredible entrepreneurs which I've had the privilege of working with over the years, the team at Icehouse Ventures and also the broader start-up ecosystem here in New Zealand,” she said.

Auckland-based Gidall said her interest in the business world began as a teenager while at school back in Nelson.

“It was really through doing business studies and the Young Enterprise Scheme, and particularly one teacher - Jarrod Aberhart - at Nelson College who really ignited my passion for entrepreneurship and sort of just set me off on this path.”

She said the highlights of her career so far had been working with “great founders” - the entrepreneurs and visionaries who conceive, build, and initially own the start-ups they’re seeking funding for.

“I'm really, really proud to have backed some incredible New Zealand technology companies,” she said.

“New Zealand punches above its weight in terms of the quality of founders and ideas that come out of here … so that's really what gets me out of bed.

“We're really focused on making sure that we're supporting Kiwi companies to go the distance and make a big impact on the world, and I want to be a supporter of that.”