Naholo was selected in the New Zealand Sevens team to prepare for the 2012 IRB World Series in Wellington, making his international rugby debut at Westpac Stadium.

[5] In 2012, Naholo continued to be a key contributor for Taranaki, playing the season's first two Ranfurly Shield matches against King Country and Wanganui.

He was to join the club at the end of the 2015 ITM Cup[9] but decided to pull out of the contract after a good super rugby season as he was now in contention for an All Black spot and he was subsequently released by Clermont.

He was eligible to be selected for the historic test against Manu Samoa in Apia on 8 July, The Rugby Championship and the return Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park on 15 August.

Naholo settled well into the centres despite mid-air collisions with Welsh backs and played his part in the 46-6 demolishing of Wales in the third test.

Naholo was retained by the All Blacks in New Zealand's 33-man squad for the 2017 Pasifika Challenge against Samoa and three-test British & Irish Lions series.

Naholo was replaced in the 59th minute of the second test by Aaron Cruden after being knocked out by Lions loose forward Seán O'Brien, who went on to win Man of the Match.

Naholo was ruled out of the third test due to concussion, allowing Hurricanes back Jordie Barrett to start for the All Blacks the first time in his career.

Naholo went missing in the 2017 Rugby Championship and was released to play for Taranaki, as Ben Smith wanted to make the most of the 2017 before his sabbatical, as well as the fact that Nehe Milner-Skudder had returned from a foot injury.

Following Milner-Skudder being ruled out for rugby for 6 months due to needing shoulder surgery, Naholo started against the Wallabies for the third Bledisloe Cup test of 2017.

Naholo won Man of the Match against France on 11 November 2017 after finishing the game with his second try for the day, allowing the final score to be 38-18, another All Blacks win.

After avoiding a yellow card for mid-air contact with Scottish fullback Stuart Hogg in the narrow 22-17 victory over Scotland, Naholo started against Wales on the right wing and finished his 2017 season with one of the best performances of his entire career, scoring the first two tries of the test before being replaced by the departing Lima Sopoaga with 10 minutes left of the All Blacks' 33-18 victory.

Naholo missed out on winning another Man of the Match award due to the outstanding performance of fellow winger and World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Rieko Ioane against the Welsh.

After an injury-ravaged 2019 Super Rugby season, rookie wingers George Bridge and Sevu Reece overtook Naholo in the national pecking order.