Who are we?
Advanced Archery is family owned business started by husband and wife team Kevin and Carol Watson in 1996. Son Conor has worked in the business off and on since 2009 in between some pretty cool overseas adventures. He came back to work fulltime in 2019 and has been a part owner since 2025. We also have a great team of people making your arrows, tuning your bows and looking after your orders. Every one of our staff shoots a bow, hunting, competing and just for fun. And we've been helping others to shoot better and have more fun for over 30 years!
It is this depth of experience that allows us to help you with whatever style of archery you're into. Advanced Archery supplies archery equipment to archers and hunters all over New Zealand and we can service ANY brand of bow.
Trips to the United States every year ensure we're up-to-date with advances in equipment, bowhunting, bow tuning, string making and arrow building knowledge. These visits to manufacturers and trade shows provide the opportunity to evaluate the latest products on offer and their suitability for New Zealand conditions. New products are rigorously tested by us and our staff shooters and if products don't measure up, Advanced Archery doesn't stock them.
Carol is a five times NZBS (New Zealand Bowhunting Society) ladies champion, and was only the fourth woman in NZ to have shot deer in NZ - red, sika, fallow, whitetail and sambar as well as pigs - and the first we believe to take the mountain double, a tahr and chamois with a bow in New Zealand. In the United States Carol has shot elk and black bear and on a trip to Australia she was happy to take 3 chital stags in one week.
Carol also keeps busy volunteering her time as the National Co-ordinator and Trainer for the National Archery in the Schools Programme in New Zealand and served 6 years as a founding member of the Game Animal Council.
Kevin has taken many big game animals including chamois, elk, red, sika, sambar, rusa, whitetail and fallow deer as well as pigs and is a three times NZBS champion. Internationally Kevin has taken U.S. whitetail and elk, chital in Australia and Rusa from New Caledonia.
Conor grew up around bows and arrows and bowhunting, of course. He’s also into spear fishing, fly fishing, rifle hunting and travel and tramping. In 2017 he walked the Appalachian Trail in the USA with 2 mates. He’s all about getting outdoors with the right gear to make the most of it!
Kevin is an popular outdoor writer and has penned many articles covering all aspects of bowhunting equipment, shooting technique and bowhunting skills. You can read his articles and product reviews in the NZ Hunter magazine, Rod & Rifle's 'Your Manual on being a New Zealand Hunter" and in the news section of this website. Designed to entertain and educate all hunters these articles provide great tips gleaned from his years of bowhunting experience.