Shay Williamson, a possum-trapper from Upper Hutt — a place some call a proper bogan town — has become the first Kiwi to win a season of the hit survival show Alone. After surviving 76 brutal days in the cold, wet wilderness of Tasmania, Shay walked away with AU$250,000 and a hard-earned place in history. It rained almost constantly. Food was scarce. And loneliness sank deep. But Shay, just 30 years old, held firm. He lost a quarter of his body weight, ate over 1,100 worms, and still managed to outlast everyone. In the end, it wasn’t luck, but grit, that got him across the line.

Ten contestants were dropped into the wild, far from each other, with only basic supplies and 70kg of camera gear to film their journey. There were no camera crews. No producers stepping in. Just raw survival, one day at a time. The last person standing would win the prize and the long ride home.

Shay had always believed his trapping skills would give him an edge. But at first, they didn’t. None of his carefully made traps worked. In fact, the only thing he caught was himself. Still, he pushed on. Rain poured. Nights dragged. Hunger gnawed. But he stayed. For the first three weeks, he had almost nothing to eat but worms. He was desperate. There were no fish, no animals to catch, no relief. Most people would have tapped out. Shay didn’t. He ate what he could find. Worms were food, and food meant survival.

Later, when the lake rose with the constant rain, it brought fish to his camp. Suddenly, everything changed. He started catching eels, trout, and more worms. His time outdoors had taught him how to read the land, the water, and the weather. The worse the storm, the better his luck. He knew where to be and when. By the end, he had caught 23 fish, 14 eels, and more than 1,000 worms.

But one moment stood out above all others. On a wet, freezing night, with nothing left in his belly, Shay walked out of his tarpaulin shelter and caught a pademelon — a small, shy marsupial — with his bare hands. It was wild. It was raw. And it was real. He had the whole thing on camera. He explained later that the rain helped him sneak up on it. The animal couldn’t hear him. Its ears were pinned back. It reminded him of hunting rabbits as a kid in New Zealand. The technique had worked then. It worked now. That moment, for many, would have been the turning point. But Shay had already matched the previous record. His mind was locked on the finish.

Throughout the journey, Shay talked to the camera like he was talking to his family. He wasn’t alone in his mind. His partner Abby, and daughters aged four and two, were always with him in spirit. Another baby is now on the way. They were the reason he didn’t give up. Every time he felt weak, he thought of home. In the end, it was Abby who surprised him. She walked up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder, and told him he had won. He was the last one left. He broke down. Relief, joy, and exhaustion flooded in.

Back home, things have mostly returned to normal. He’s still trapping, still filming for his YouTube channel, Keeping it Wild. The prize money is going straight on the mortgage. No fancy toys. No new ute. Just freedom from the weight of debt. For Shay, it wasn’t just about the money. It was about proving something — to himself and others. He had spent years in the bush, learning, failing, trying again. Alone gave him the chance to show it had all meant something. His skills, shaped in the wet forests and hills around Upper Hutt, had been tested. And they had carried him through.

His daughter now watches the show and tells stories about living in the bush. She dreams of tree houses and wild adventures. Shay, though, dreams of fish and chips on the beach with his family — the simple things. This win wasn’t just about survival. It was about heart, purpose, and quiet strength. Shay Williamson, the possum-trapper from Upper Hutt, didn’t just win Alone. He showed what a Kiwi battler is made of.