NZ Alpine Trust
Many young people face daily challenges that limit their ability to believe in a life beyond their current reality. These challenges include forms of hardship, limited access to opportunities, mental health struggles, and social and cultural barriers.
We aim to provide young New Zealanders life-changing experiences in an alpine environment they never thought possible, to enable them to develop skills, confidence, and resilience along with enhancing their physical wellbeing, fitness and health, to help them realise their full potential.
Our Purpose
To offer young New Zealanders alpine experiences unimagined and through these experiences, help enhance their lives.
Programmes
The NZ Alpine Trust works closely with selected schools to offer alpine adventure based learning, leadership sessions and mentoring programmes for Year 11-13 students. The programme launched as a pilot in 2023. Participants are part of a three year programme, which includes adventure and leadership camps in and around Queenstown, opportunities to 'learn to ski' at Coronet Peak & Remarkables, experiences on the Dart River, hikes near Glenorchy and other cool activities.
programme
Mentoring & Coaching
Mentors can play a critical role in guiding and supporting young people to realise their potential. We provide mentors to each of our participants to help optimise their journey throughout our 3 year programme.
coaching-mentoring“The world is your oyster”
– Anne Wilson
What does success look like?
A young adult saying in years to come, “Thank you for opening my eyes, ears and mind to what I am truly capable of."
Long-term success will be reflected in the positive impact the experience has on the lives of the participants, and in the ways in which they use the skills and knowledge to reframe their mindset and achieve their full potential.
Our founder
It is NZ Alpine Trust's founder Cameron Wilson’s belief that there are many ways conquering mountains that can help shape you as a person. As a young south Dunedin boy from humble beginnings, Cameron admired the mountains from afar. In his early teens his family invested their hard-earned money in getting him on a ski field where he realised a natural ability for alpine skiing. Cameron’s energy for the sport flourished, as did his skill, becoming a promising and dedicated member of the New Zealand ski racing team. Skiing took him all over the world; it opened doors he never imagined.
However, the funding of his passion was problematic, and ultimately was the undoing of his Olympic ambitions. But, from adversity comes determination, and Cameron knew that one day he would help create a pathway for young people in a similar situation.
Today, it has inspired him to create the NZ Alpine Trust. It is Cameron’s mission to offer young New Zealanders, who would never otherwise have the opportunity, life changing experiences in an alpine environment to help shape their lives in a way they never thought possible.
