First-year tauira Noah McBirney-Warnes talks during a session at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, in his role as youth delegate for Heirs To Our Ocean (H2OO).
Rangatahi aren’t just the leaders of tomorrow, they’re leaders right now, says tauira Noah McBirney-Warnes (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whātua).
Or at least they can be if provided with the right opportunities, he says.
Noah – who is in his first year of a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Politics – recently attended the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, as a youth delegate for Heirs To Our Ocean (H2OO).
H2OO is an organisation that aims to connect, educate and empower youth concerned with environmental and humanitarian issues to become the next generation of leaders.
“I’ve always been passionate about youth advocacy because I’ve seen firsthand how powerful young people’s voices can be – especially when they’re given real space to lead and influence change,” Noah says.
“Growing up, I often saw rangatahi with deep insights and care for their communities, but without meaningful platforms to share them.”
Noah attended the conference as a delegate for H2OO’s Youth Inclusion Expert Working Group for the UN Ocean Decade, which is a framework to identify, generate and use critical ocean knowledge to manage the ocean sustainably.
“I was one of around 10 youth delegates in the H2OO team. It was incredible to connect with Pacific youth and other Indigenous and Global South leaders.
“It meant a lot to be there representing not just youth, but also Pasifika voices from Aotearoa in such a high-level space.”
The chance to explore Nice and experience the energy of the conference was incredible, he says.
Noah McBirney-Warnes, right, enjoyed the chance to explore and connect in Nice with, from left, Hopotoa Jinnam (a Diplomat from Niue), Anna Campbell (General Manager of the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust in Dunedin) and Pasisi Shiloh (a Diplomat from Niue).
“The Mediterranean coastline, the old town, the local food – it was beautiful and vibrant. But what made it really special was the people I got to connect with. Alongside the conference, I had the chance to attend side events, network with ocean advocates from around the world, and explore some of the city with other youth leaders.
“It reminded me that these spaces aren’t just about policy – they’re also about relationship-building, cross-cultural learning, and holding space for hope and solidarity.”
But the major highlight for Noah was launching and personally presenting H2OO’s Youth Inclusion Strategic Action Plan (YISAP) to world leaders and the world, he says.
“The plan is a first-of-its-kind, youth-authored blueprint for the UN Ocean Decade. It outlines concrete steps for institutions and governments to embed youth leadership meaningfully.”
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, he says.
“People told us it was exactly what they needed to shift youth engagement from tokenism to genuine partnership. We can’t have ocean justice without climate justice – and we can’t have climate justice without Indigenous and youth leadership at the centre."
As part of continuing this mahi in Aotearoa, Noah is currently in the process of establishing a Youth Action Council for the UN Ocean Decade.
“One clear action is to create youth co-governance roles in national and international marine policy spaces – not just consultation, but shared power. We want to build a space where rangatahi can share their concerns, lived experiences and ideas, and turn that into collective advocacy that speaks directly to decision makers."
Delegates from the United States, Canada and Spain are pictured with Noah McBirney-Warnes (top) ahead of presenting the youth inclusion strategic action plan in the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen.
“Often, youth voices are invited to the table without being resourced to participate meaningfully – changing that would be a real step toward equity.”
If Noah looks familiar, you may have seen him in the recently released Choir Games documentary, a four-part series following two choirs as they prepared for and competed at the 2024 World Choir Games.
And, as if he’s not busy enough already, he’s also involved with Forest & Bird Youth Dunedin.
“This has been a great way to stay connected to local environmental kaupapa here in Ōtepoti.
“Even though a lot of my work has focused on national and international spaces, I think being part of something local reminds me where the real impact begins – at the grassroots level.”
Rangatahi can also make a real impact, Noah says.
“Your voice matters more than you think, and there’s always a space for you. Whether it’s through local volunteering, advocacy, or joining kaupapa like the Youth Action Council, it starts with showing up and knowing you belong in these conversations.
“If anyone wants to be involved, I’d be really happy to connect and kōrero – we need all kinds of people in this movement.”
- To find out how to get more involved, Noah can be reached at noahmcbw@gmail.com
– Kōrero by Internal Communications Adviser Laura Hewson
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