Far North teen Corban Thorpe is ranked among Australasia’s top youth in archery.
From bow hunting alongside his dad to breaking a New Zealand record and standing against the country’s best, a young Far North archer has come a long way in just a few years.
What started as a fun day out at an archery have-a-go session has turned into an international sporting career for Kaitaia’s Corban Thorpe.
He was 10 when he first picked up a bow.
And now, he has smashed records, taken out multiple national titles and earned a place among the top-ranked youth archers in Australasia.
And he reckons he is just getting started.
“It was meant to be a bit of fun, but I really enjoyed it. Around the same time, I’d been going hunting with my dad, and after shooting pigs and deer with a rifle, I started wanting more of a challenge.
“Dad suggested I give bowhunting a go, and I was all for it.”
The Christmas after that, he got his first bow and hasn’t looked back.
He entered his first competition at Bay of Islands Archery Club and won first place in the cub division.
“From then on I was hooked. Archery just clicked for me, it’s been a big part of my life ever since.”
At the latest event - the Trans Tasman Challenge - he had a great run, winning a gold medal in the Under-18 720 and a silver in the Under-18 and Under-21 match play.
“It felt amazing. I was really proud of the result, especially knowing how much time and effort I’ve put into training.
“One of the highlights was managing to beat NZ’s No 1, Hector McNeilly, in the round robin. In the gold medal match, it came down to the wire and he took the win, shooting 149 to my 147 out of 150.
“Getting the chance to shoot against such a talented archer was a great experience and has really motivated me to keep pushing and improving.”
Corban said he constantly motivates himself by reminding himself that he is “just shooting against himself”.
“It’s just me and the target face. I imagine I’m shooting at home, and I tell myself it’s just another practice day. That mindset helps keep the pressure off and keeps me focused on what I need to do.”
He said he takes great pride in representing NZ and credited his family for constantly supporting him.
“My mum and dad have been incredible... they’re always checking in to make sure I still love what I do. My sister Charlotte has always had my back and inspires me to be the best archer I can be.”
He also credited professional archer Trevor Irvine and Dudley Andrews, who have played a role in shaping his archery journey and “everyone who congratulates me and supports me along the way. It means a lot”.
His dad, Jonny said his role began taking Corban to events and learning as much as he could about the sport.
He said with Northland being so isolated, there were not many coaches or archery shops to help.
“It’s been a real experience for me, learning the ropes and figuring out how everything works. As a family we’ve worked together to make sure his gear is in the best condition and tuned correctly so he can get the best results.”
He said his son has always had a natural talent for shooting sports and archery was a natural progression.
“He used to do skeet shooting and was doing really well in that, but he loved archery and wanted to progress with it. When he picked up a bow he excelled, and we took that and ran with it.”
They have big dreams for Corban’s archery career, with sights on the Olympics.
“I’m super proud of him and proud he’s representing the country.
“High performance sport has its ups and downs – it’s tough mentally and physically – but he manages to push through those boundaries and get the job done.
“Over the last couple of years, he’s really grown, especially in how he prepares mentally.”