The championships, held from January 2 to 9, drew hundreds of competitors from across the country.
The Balclutha Bowling Club was stamped firmly into the results, with Wolland crowned national champion in the Open Disability Singles and Paterson winning the National Open Disability Pairs title.
Wolland produced one of the most dominant performances of the tournament in his final.
Taking control early, his 21-2 defeat of Papanui’s Jono Radka was described as "clinical."
"I wanted to make a statement," Wolland said, "I didn’t let him settle and made it as hard as I could for him to play well."
Wolland, 55, was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis when he was 30, and has been playing bowls for about 20 years through physical pain, personal upheaval and financial strain.
"I wanted to do something in my life that I could be good at, and I've worked damn hard, especially lately, to get to this point."
He competed in able-bodied bowls until 2022, when physical limitations nearly forced him out.
"I was about to quit bowls altogether, but my mate Carl Street was doing a coaching course and said, ‘look, we'll tweak some things, see how you go’."
Those adjustments, combined with Power-Bowls experience and disability competition, transformed his career and led to his first national title in 2023.
Alongside Wolland, fellow Balclutha bowler Reilly Paterson celebrated his own breakthrough at the championships, partnering with Wellingtonian Adrian Browne to secure the National Open Disability Pairs title.
Born with cerebral palsy, Paterson, 28, has been bowling for about 12 years after being introduced to the sport by his grandmother and has already built an impressive record of regional titles.
"I’ve known Adrian a couple of years," Paterson said, "I gave him a ring a couple of months ago and said ‘things are going all right, do you want to come to Christchurch with me?"
Despite no opportunities to train together, the pair quickly found their rhythm.
"We won the semifinal by one shot," Paterson said, "After that I said to Adrian ‘let's go’ ... Everything was working for us.
"That’s my first New Zealand title ... I’m still thinking about it, in my mind and at the club. I've only put the bowls down for maybe two days since I've been home.
Both men remain in seasonal competition mode for the South Otago Open Fours in Balclutha this weekend, and Wolland admitted he was thinking about the national selectors.
"Representing New Zealand on the international stage is my dream and we have the Commonwealth Games coming up in Glasgow this year."
