It will be little surprise to the bowls community that Camron Horo has been named Bowls New Zealand’s Emerging Player of the Year in 2025.
The reason is simple. He has been a player to watch since the 2018/2019 season. As far back as 2020, he was awarded the Pakiri Rangatahi Trophy at the 46th Aotearoa National Bowls Championship, given to the top under-20 Māori bowling talent.
Every year since then, Camron has continued to improve, so much so that it could even be argued that he has already ‘emerged’.
He has certainly emerged at his home club of Rahotu, a small bowling club at the western end of the Taranaki coast. (If the name rings a bell, it is the place the rugby-playing and occasional bowling Barrett brothers call home.) Camron started bowling there at the age of 14, inspired and motivated by his father and grandparents, who also bowled at the club.
He has also emerged at his competition club, Paritutu in New Plymouth. Camron has not ‘defected’ to Paritutu. He still plays much of his bowls at Rahotu, where he lives, but Paritutu provides an opportunity to experience the wider bowling world, a club rich with young talent including Daryl Read, Kaylin Huwyler, Aidan Zittersteijn and Nathan Goodin.
He has already emerged at Centre level as well and is well known in Taranaki bowling circles. This year, Camron won the Taranaki Singles and was named Taranaki Youth Player of the Year. He has also been a regular member of the winning Paritutu Bowling Interclub team for the past three years.
“He’s dedicated to the game,” observes Paritutu Selector Rodger Hassall. “He puts in hours of practice. At the same time he always shows a willingness to listen and be guided on all aspects of lawn bowls. At the Wellington Interclub finals this year, he was a pleasure to have in the team. He is a delightful young man.”
Camron is now emerging on the national stage. He was part of the Taranaki team that came third in the Under 26 Nationals. He won the Under 21 Kittyhawk Singles. He represented the Aotearoa New Zealand Maori team, winning four silvers and a bronze in the Oceania Challenge. He was also selected for the Under 25 Indoor World Championships.
Barbara Harvey, President of the Paritutu Bowling Club, is a big fan of Camron.
“He’s one of our ‘young guns’,” enthuses Barbara. “He doesn’t just rely on his talent. He puts in the hard yards. He’s always out practising under the roof.
“Plus, he’s also a really nice guy. He’s got great family values. His mum is always down here watching him play. He also gets a lot of encouragement from our members. But there’s no chance of his success going to his head. They keep him grounded!”
Congratulations to Camron Horo on being named Bowls New Zealand’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2025.