Bowls New Zealand is the national governing body of lawn bowls within Aotearoa. We work with 27 regional Centres and 465 Clubs across Aotearoa. Bowls New Zealand is committed to the sport of lawn bowls and development of initiatives that support inclusivity and diversity of all our communities.

Bowls is a sport steeped in tradition. Many bowling clubs are over 100 years old and play a significant role in providing communities with social hubs. Clubs offer a wide range of interests such as housie, darts and croquet; sports and events for all to enjoy over summer and winter months. However, Bowls New Zealand is dedicated to keeping up with the times. We are embarking on a number of initiatives that are reaching potentially new groups of players (e.g. Tamariki and Rangatahi) and developing new game formats., e.g. Twilight Bowls is a relatively new format that can be played by those that are time-poor and possibly not interested in serious competition.

Bowls New Zealand was incorporated in 1996 when the New Zealand Bowls Association and the Women’s Bowls Association were brought together and amalgamated to create a single governing body. Through perseverance and dedication, we now see successful Mixed Pairs tournaments and National Championships that support mixed teams.

We strive to be the best bowling country in the world. This is a vision shared by all stakeholders be they athletes, coaches, umpires, support staff, funders, sponsors and supporters. With the inroads and advances we are making this will surely fast become a reality.

We are committed to the mission that Bowls is enjoyable, entertaining and accessible for all New Zealanders now and into the future. Respect is another core value we hold dear and strive to ensure it is present in all things we say and do.

The stereotypical image of a bowler is changing. We are striving to create an all inclusive environment irrespective of one's sex, gender, age, race or physical ability and this is demonstrated through the changes we are making, and have made, to competitions etc.