Everything in News and Events

Sensei has been asked to play a pivotal role in developing a program to integrate athletes with disabilities into karate NZ club settings, further enhancing inclusivity and opportunities within KNZ.

To make this a success I need help from all of you. We will build on what works within our club and our experiences from our first tournament.

This is an exciting opportunity for our club in 2025.

Our last class of the year will be on Wednesday 11th December. We will be starting our celebration about 6:45pm with mince pies, lollies, and Christmas crackers!

Our first class of the new year will be on 22nd January 2025.

If you can't join us we'll miss you, but we wish you a Merry Christmas and an amazing 2025!

Here is the slightly late Spring issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

Find out about our special Christmas class, Rainbro's last book, and our final gradings of 2024.

Read Newsletter

Prepare yourselves, because on the 30th of October, our dojo transforms into a battlefield of the undead!

Dress up in your most fearsome Halloween costume, and brace yourself for the ultimate test of your karate skills. Will your strikes be powerful enough to hold back the relentless zombie hordes?

Do you have what it takes to take down a zombie with a single, devastating blow? This Halloween, it's not just about survival it's about proving you're more than just a snack.

But beware, it's not just zombies lurking in the shadows... There are whispers of a T-Rex on the prowl! Can you master your kata before a dinosaur joins the fight?

Join us for a night of spine-chilling fun with gooey lollies and ghostly games. This is not just a class, it's a fight for your life!

This is a reminder that the 25th September evening classes have been cancelled. The Manaaki Ability Trust class will still go ahead.

Classes will be back to normal the following week.

Ahoy, mateys! Hoist the Jolly Roger and let yer tongues sail the seven seas, for it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Arrr, grab yer grog and join the crew, or ye be walkin' the plank! Arrr!

Join us for What's Outside the Box on Saturday, 14th September, an inspiring expo for disabled individuals and their families in the Wellington region. Explore post-secondary opportunities in education, employment, hobbies, and social connections. Visit the New Zealand Disability Karate Association's stall to learn about karate benefits. Doors open at 10am - don't miss this chance to discover new possibilities!

Visit Website

Here is the Winter issue of Ability, the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.
In this issue you can read all the What's Outside The Box expo.

Read Newsletter

The club will be running a free self-defence class on Wednesday 21st August at 7pm. This is in place of our normal second class. Everyone is invited so please tell your friends and family about the session.

There will be practical demonstrations and lots of opportunities to try out the techniques in a safe training environment. You don't have to know karate to be take part in this exciting class.

Remember to wear comfortable clothing and bring a drink bottle.

There are many ways to tie your belt (obi). Here is a video that will walk you through the method I use. I hope you find it useful. Remember it is your responsibility to make sure your belt is fitted correctly.

If you can demonstrate tying your own belt in front of Sensei there will be a certificate for you.

Watch Video

We held our first tournament this weekend. Thank you to everyone who participated. And a very special thank you to all the officials who made sure the day ran smoothly. Without their support this event would not have been possible.
A highlight of the day was the demonstrations by Sensei Will Cooper. Many of the participants told me that they were blown away by his katas.
See you at next year's tournament!

Only 1 day until we open the dojo doors for our very first karate tournament!

Only 2 days until we open the dojo doors for our very first karate tournament!

Only 3 days until we open the dojo doors for our very first karate tournament!

Here is a short video of the pattern for Taikyoku Jodan (First Kata).
If you would like a printable (pdf) version of this video send Sensei an email and he will send you a copy of the file. That way you will know it is not spam.

Watch Video

Matariki is the Maori name for the small cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, in the Taurus constellation.

This year the sky was clear so there was a beautiful view of the cluster on this unique New Zealand holiday and celebration.

Here is the Autumn issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue find out about our first tournament. And who our TV stars are.

Read Newsletter

A very nice child's coat was left in the dojo. It is a lovely navy blue colour with moons and stars. I will bring it to class next week, but if it is needed before then contact me and we can arrange a handover.

It is New Zealand Sign Language Week and there are many events happening to celebrate the Deaf Community.
You can download the image of the finger spelling chart and strike up a conversation in NZSL!

Here is the video of the Friday morning interview with James Fleur from TV3's AM Show.
Thank you to all the students who came along and may the event so successful. And thank you to James and Billy from the AM Show for visiting our dojo.

I think we have a few movie stars in the making!

Watch Video

We have been approached by the morning TV program, AM show, for an interview. This will be on Friday 3rd May between 8am and 9am.
If you are interested in taking part and want to be a TV star please let Sensei know.

We have just had conformation that the interview with James Fleur from the AM Show on TV3 is on! We will be meeting James at the dojo at 08:20 tomorrow. We will be on air at 08:45.

Have a think about anything you want to talk to James about. We will be talking about our club and the upcoming tournament. We may even show him one or two self-defense moves.

Here is a link to the RNZ story about our club. It has some great pictures of you training!

Visit Website

The broadcast of our interview has been delayed until next week due to the events happening in the Middle East.

This is a very sad global situation let's hope that casualties are minimal.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the interview with RNZ Radio last night.

It is going to be broadcast Friday evening on Checkpoint, which airs between 4pm and 6pm.

If I get any more information I will let you know.

We will have a stand at Armageddon Wellington on the 6th and 7th April.

This will be our second year at the expo. Last year we had a lot of success getting our message out there, That anyone can do karate.

It is going to be so much fun!

If you are visiting the Expo it would be great to see you. Our stand is 27B.

We will be at Armageddon this weekend. It is going to be so much fun!

If you are visiting the Expo it would be great to see you. Our stand is 27B.

There will be no classes tonight, Wednesday 7th February 2024.
Sensei is unwell and does not what to pass it on to you and make you unwell.

See you next week!

Here is the Summer issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue there are details about our AGM, special Easter class and changes to the Kobudo class.

You can also find out when the next Rainbro book will be published!

Read Newsletter

Happy New Year! Today is our very first dojo class of 2024. It is the start of an exciting year of karate, including the introduction of a new weapons to our Kubudo class. This is a good time to think about any karate goals you have for this year?

Over the summer holiday it would be great if both dojos were to meet up and train together.

The beach at petone
If we could all meet up near the pier at Petone on Saturday 13th January 2024 at 11am. We could train for an hour and then have lunch together. If the weather is bad we can always meet up on the following Saturday.

If this is something you would like to do let Sensei know so that he can get an idea of numbers

This Saturday is our karate on the beach class! We will all meet up near the pier at Petone at 11am and train for about an hour.

We could then have lunch/coffee together. This will be a great time to chat about what we want to do as a club in 2024.

The weather looks like it will be sunny so please bring a hat and water bottle. I will have sunblock for those who want it.

See you there!

For 2024 kobudo training we will be introducing the Nunchaku. This weapon can be a little unpredictable.

So for students new to this weapon we have just ordered foam training Nunchaku.

As we were reminded so many times in Okinawa - Safety First!

On the 13th and 15th December we will have our Christmas classes. There will be mince pies, lollies and Christmas crackers.

Our first class of the new year will be on 24th January 2024!

This has been another great year for the club and it would be wonderful to see you before we all head off to celebrate Christmas.

If you cannot make it I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and an awesome 2024!

Here is the Spring issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

Find out about the trip to Okinawa, our special Christmas and Beach classes. This is the first newsletter to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create the audio file for low vision students.

Read Newsletter

On Wednesday 25th October we will have our Halloween class. Remember to dress up in your best Halloween costume.

Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
Is your karate strong enough to hold back the hordes of prowling zombies?
Can you defeat a zombie with a single strike?
Come to class and find out if you are a survivor or a snack.

See if you can spot the T-Rex. Find out if dinosaurs can do kata!

There will be gooey lollies and ghostly games. Can you scare Sensei?

There will be no classes between 7th October and 24th October 2023.
Sensei will be in Okinawa training with Nakamoto Hanshi.

This means that the following classes have been cancelled
* Wednesday 11th October
* Friday 13th October
* Wednesday 18th October
* Friday 22nd October

Classes will commence Wednesday 25th October at Khandallah and Friday 27th October for Manaaki Ability Trust.

We are taking part in Raksha Bandhan Festival at the High Commission of India. We will have a stand there promoting our services. This is a great opportunity to celebrate all the wonderful cultures around Wellington.

The festival will be at the High Commission of India on Pipitea Street. It starts at 2pm until 5pm on Saturday 2nd September 2023. Entry is free, it would be great to see you there.

Sorry for the late notice. There will be no classes tonight. Sensei is unwell and does not want to pass it on to you.

Here is the Winter issue of Ability, the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.
In this issue you can read all about the new dojo at Manaaki Ability Trust!

Read Newsletter

Book four, Rainbro Learns Self-defence, has been published and is available from the Amazon bookstore.

Copies have been ordered so you can get your copy from the dojo at the special club price.

Visit Website

A small change has been made to the website. You can now see how long you have been at the club by visiting your account details page.

The previous Incident Response Plan was focused on how the club would respond to COVID-19. The plan has been expanded to include other emergencies.

You can review the new plan by clicking on the link below. If you have any feedback please let Sensei know and the page will be updated.

Visit Website

Matariki is the Maori name for the small cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, in the Taurus constellation.

In New Zealand it comes into view low on the north-eastern horizon, appearing in the tail of the Milky Way in the last days of May or in early June, just before dawn.

This heralds the Maori New Year. To celebrate we will be training on the beach at Scorching Bay before sunrise (about 6am) all are welcome.

The website has had a small update. You can now record your belt size on your account.

This will really help us when it is time to order your next belt when you grade. If you provide this information we will no longer have to guess!

Join us to mark the sixth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) access/inclusion and people with different disabilities.

Visit Website

Wednesday 26th April will be a special class celebrating our club birthday. We will be five years old! We opened the dojo doors for the first time on 18th April 2018.

There will be chocolate cake at the end of class to make this milestone.

Tuesday 25th April is ANZAC Day. There are a number of services on ANZAC Day. Sensei will be attending the 6am Dawn Service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to remember all those service personnel who have kept us safe and free.

Lest we forget.

We will have a stand at Armageddon Wellington on the 22nd and 23rd April.

This is a big deal for our club. We want to get our message out there, That anyone can do karate.

It is going to be so much fun!

If you are visiting the Expo it would be great to see you. Our stand is 34A.

This is a reminder that the 19th April classes have been cancelled.

Classes will be back to normal the following week.

Here is the Autumn issue of Ability, the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.
In this issue there are details about our Stand at Armageddon. You can also find out when the next Rainbro book will be published!

Read Newsletter

On the 5th April we will have our special Easter class. Remember to dress up in your favorite Easter costume.

There will be Easter eggs, lolly scramble and lots of games.

Everyone is welcome both old and new students!

Here is our new Dojo Kun banner. This will be on display at the front of the class. The pledge will be included in our grading ceremonies.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the creation of this important cornerstone of our karate.

What's Outside the Box is an expo for disabled people within the Wellington region. Its vision is to help you and your family explore the opportunities available after secondary school.

New Zealand Disability Karate Association will be there with a stall and doing demos.

Doors open at 10am, see you there!

Visit Website

This is just a short video about the expo the students Mana College but together.

Enjoy!

Watch Video

We would like to invite you to the Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Disability Karate Association on Sunday 5th March at 4pm until 4:30pm. This will be an online Zoom Meeting.

We will provide a copy of the annual report before the meeting, so if you are unable to attend you can still have your say.

Here are the details for the Zoom session. You will need to login to your account to see the meeting ID and password. This is the same ID and password you would normally use to take part in the Zoom Dojo classes.

Login for more information

Here is the Summer issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue there are details about our AGM, special Easter class and changes to the Kobudo class.

You can also find out when the next Rainbro book will be published!

Read Newsletter

I hope everyone is safe and well after the earthquake. We were in the middle of training when it struck. Everyone in the the dojo responded very well and are all safe.

If you need help or just want a chat call me on 027 240 2717.

This February's Zoom class will be this Sunday at 4pm for 30 minutes. Don't forget Karter will be taking the class rather than Sensei.

This month's theme is Stronger Faster Strikes.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

A small change has been made to the Home page on our website. You can now see when the second class includes Kobudo training along with the weapon we will be will be using.

Next month, for the first time, we start training with Sai!

Happy New Year! Wednesday is our very first class of 2023. It is the start of an exciting year of karate, including the introduction of a new weapons to our Kubudo class. This is a good time to think about any karate goals you have for this year?

The instructors are all looking forward to training with you this year and supporting you on your karate journey.

Book three, Rainbro Completes in Tournament, has been published and is available from the Amazon bookstore.

Copies have been ordered so you can get your copy from the dojo at the special club price.


Visit Website

World Braille Day commemorates the invention of the Braille system by a Frenchman, Louis Braille, who was injured in an accident when he was quite young.

Louis would have been 214 years old today.

There are now mini colouring PDF books you can download from the Rainbro page. Each book has pictures of the main characters from each story.

You will have to find your own crayons.

Visit Website

We have had our final class and what a year we have had.

Here are some pictures from this year. Remember you can add your 2022 memories to the dojo gallery.

Visit Website

On the 14th December we will have our Christmas class. There will be lots of games and fun. There will be gifts, lollies and Christmas crackers.

This will be our last class of the year. We back on 25th January 2023!

All students have are welcome both past and present. This has been another great year for the club and it would be wonderful to see you before we all head off to celebrate Christmas.

If you cannot make it I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and an awesome 2023!

There will be no Zoom class this month. This is due to Sensei not being available to take the class. Apologies for the short notice.

This November's Zoom class will be this Sunday at 4pm for 30 minutes. Don't forget Karter will be taking the class rather than Sensei.

This month's theme is Kata Saifa. This will be really good for those looking to grade to blue belt.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

Next Wednesday we will be looking at the club's Code of Conduct.

We will take a couple of minutes so that we can come up with something that everyone can agreed to.

This is very important and your input is needed.

On Wednesday 26th October we will have our Halloween class. Remember to dress up in your best Halloween costume.

Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
Is your karate strong enough to hold back the hordes of prowling zombies?
Can you defeat a zombie with a single strike?
Come to class and find out if you are a survivor or a snack.

See if you can spot the T-Rex. Find out if dinosaurs can do kata!

There will be gooey lollies and ghostly games. Can you scare Sensei?

New photos have been added from gradings and classes to the gallery. If you have photos you would like to add feel free to do so.

Visit Website

Here is the Spring issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

Find out about our special classes and a few tips on self-defence.

Read Newsletter

This October's Zoom class will be this Sunday at 4pm for 30 minutes. Don't forget Karter will be taking the class rather than Sensei.

This month's theme is Kata Sanchin. This will be really good for those looking to grade to green belt.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

This is a reminder that tonight's classes have been cancelled. The hall is in use this evening for an event called, Its in the ballot.
Classes will be back to normal next week.

We have made a few changes to our Zoom classes. From now on Zoom classes will be 30 minutes and will have a theme.

Zoom classes will still be on the first Sunday of the month at 4pm. Don't forget Karter will be taking the class rather than Sensei.

September's theme is Taikyoku Jodan (First Kata). This will be really good for those looking to grade to orange belt.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.


Login for more information

I am sure you all remember Tane. He used to train in the second class before his family moved to Christchurch. Well you can see him again on the telly!

Whanau and friends can tune in tomorrow (Sunday 14th August) to TV2 at 8.30am as Tane will be on What Now!

Here is the Winter issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.
Find out about the changes to the Zoom class and how you can get your copy of the next Rainbro book!

Read Newsletter

I am sorry to have to tell you that there will be no class this Wednesday 10th August. Sensei has contracted COVID and is isolating. We should be back training the following week.

There will be a Zoom class on this Sunday 7th August.

Tonight's classes will be cancelled. I am unwell and don't want to pass it on to you and make you sick.

I have done a RAT test which has been negative. I will do another tomorrow to make sure I don't have COVID.

I am very sorry for the short notice, but I have to make sure all students are kept safe.

See you next week.

Regards Sensei Steve.

This is an incredible day. It sees the launch of the new ministry, Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People.

Whaikaha has so much potential to support and champion the disabled communities of Aotearoa.

Matariki is the Maori name for the small cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, in the Taurus constellation.

In New Zealand it comes into view low on the north-eastern horizon, appearing in the tail of the Milky Way in the last days of May or in early June, just before dawn.

For the very first time New Zealand will have a public holiday to celebrate this uniquely Kiwi event.

This heralds the Maori New Year. To celebrate I will be training on the beach at Scorching Bay before sunrise (about 6am)

The club will be running a free self-defence class on Wednesday 25th May at 7pm. This is in place of our normal second class. Everyone is invited so please tell your friends and family about the session.

There will be practical demonstrations and lots of opportunities to try out the techniques in a safe training environment. You don't have to know karate to be take part in this exciting class.

Remember to wear comfortable clothing and bring a drink bottle.

From the 5th June there will be a new member on the Zoom Team. Join the June Zoom class and meet Carter for the very first time. He is rather mischievous and loves kata.

Club members can book their place by clicking on the link below.

Visit Website

Wednesday 27th April will be a special class celebrating our club birthday. We will be four years old! We opened the dojo doors for the first time on 18th April 2018.

We do have a class on the 20th, but there are a lot of people going away for the Easter break. So we delayed our celebration by a week so everyone can have some birthday cake!

Monday is ANZAC Day. There are a number of services this Monday. Sensei will be attending the 6am Dawn Service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to remember all those service personnel who have kept us safe and free.

Lest we forget.

Here is the Autumn issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.
In this issue there are details about our first self-defence class. You can also find out when the next Rainbro book will be published!

Read Newsletter

The person who was my inspiration for setting up the club is extremely ill with COVID. He has reduced lung capacity and is in a bad way. He happens to be a high ranking black belt. So not a weakling.

Just because governments are easing restrictions does not mean the virus is not out there doing what viruses do best.

So if you are unwell please stay away from the dojo and be proactive in protecting our karate family.

Be safe, be kind.

On the 13th April we will have our special Easter class. Remember to dress up in your favorite Easter costume.

There will be Easter eggs, lolly scramble and lots of games. Can you hop higher than Sensei?

Everyone is welcome both old and new students!

To keep everyone safe from COVID. This week we will not be training in the dojo.

Instead there will be a 60 minute online training session with Sensei, which starts at 6:30pm on Wednesday 23rd March. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and he will adjust the class plan.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

Today is World Down Syndrome Day! The reality is that people with Down syndrome and disabilities do not benefit from full and effective participation and inclusion in society. Talk to your friends, family and places of work about ways you can be more inclusive. Everyone benefits!

What is Down syndrome? Down syndrome (or Trisomy 21) is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition.

You can find out more by visiting the link below.

Visit Website

A student who attended the first class on Wednesday 17th March has tested positive for COVID. I am sure that everyone will join me in wishing them a speedy recovery.
I will be self-isolating for the next couple of days as I am a close contact and testing myself at the weekend. I would recommend that this would be a good course of action for anyone else who attended the first class.

For students in the second class you would not be considered a close contact of the student. However, I will be testing myself on Saturday if the result is positive I will let you all know straight away.

So as part of our self-defense against COVID there will not be a class next week (23rd March). I will set up a Zoom class for any students that want to train with me next week. Once again we send all our aroha to our poorly student and their family.

The link below is to the health website pages for close contacts.

Be safe. Be kind.

Visit Website

Our next grading class will be on Wednesday 9th March and is exclusively a yellow belt grading. So remember to practice your kihon (fundamentals) and your counting in Japanese.

Please invite family and friends to help celebrate this amazing first step. Remember to bring your cameras!

A new page just for Rainbro has been added to the website. It provides details on each book and the publication dates.

There is information on how you can buy your own copy.

Visit Website

There have been some changes to the club's COVID-19 response plan.

These include the following points.
* You must sign in using the Contact Tracing App or record your karate training on our website. The QR code for our club will be on the desk.
* Sensei needs to check you vaccine pass before you can train. Children below the age of 5 are exempt.
* You must wear if you are not training.
* Sensei will use a rapid antigen test (RAT) before each class. This is to keep all students safe. If the test is positive class will be cancelled.

Remember we need think of each other and keep our karate family safe.

Visit Website

We will be holding the clubs AGM on Wednesday 2nd March at Khandallah Town Hall at 6:30pm. This is instead of our normal class and will take about half an hour.
We will provide a draft copy of the annual report before the meeting. So if you are unable to attend you can still have your say.

If you have not received a copy of the AGM documents by Friday 25th February and would like a set please send an email to Sensei (sensei@karatedojo.nz).

If you prefer to join the Annual General Meeting remotely here are the details for the Zoom session. You will need to login to your account to see the meeting ID and password. This is the same ID and password you would normally use to take part in the Zoom Dojo classes.

Login for more information

Here is the Summer issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.
In this issue there are details about our AGM, special Easter class and new Kobudo class. You can also find out when the next Rainbro book will be published!

Read Newsletter

Wednesday is our very first class of 2022. It is the start of an exciting year of karate, including the introduction of a new Kubudo class. This is a good time to think about any karate goals you have for this year?

We will be training under the red traffic-light rules to keep everyone safe.

Red light check list
- Scan the QR code when you arrive.
- Remember to bring your Vaccine Pass.
- Wear your mask before and after class.
- Parents/Spectators to wear mask the whole time.

The first book in the the Rainbro series, Rainbro Joins a Dojo is available on Amazon in paperback and as a Kindle eBook. This is the story of a young fish who tries Karate for the first time. Any money made from book sales will go towards running the club.

Sensei has ordered a number of copies that you can buy at the dojo. The link will take you to Amazon's Australian store which has the cheapest postage to New Zealand. The copies in the dojo will sold at a special price to club members.

Book two will be out mid-year and will continue Rainbro's adventures as he grades to yellow belt.


Visit Website

On the 15th December we will have our Christmas class. Lots of games and fun. There will be awards, lollies and Christmas crackers.

This will be our last class of the year. We back on 26th January 2022!

All students have are welcome both past and present. This has been a great year for the club and it would be wonderful to see you before we all head off to celebrate Christmas.

If you cannot make it I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and an awesome 2022!

We are getting ready to be able to scan and verify the vaccine passes so that we will be ready for the new traffic light system.

We don't intend to store this information in our database, but we are checking to see if there are any privacy implications.

We can discuss this at our next class or you can call Steve on 027 240 2717.

The first book in Rain Bro's karate adventures has reached the next stage of development. Sensei's handwritten notes have been transferred to a Word document so that it can be reviewed and edited.

Now the story is starting to really take shape. The next phase is to create the artwork.

On the 27th October we will have our Halloween class. Remember to dress up in your best Halloween costume.

Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
Is your karate strong enough to hold back the hordes of prowling zombies?
Can you defeat a zombie with a single strike?
Come to class and find out if you are a survivor or a snack.

See if you can spot the T-Rex. Find out if dinosaurs can do kata!

There will be gooey lollies and ghostly games. Can you scare Sensei?

Here is the Spring issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

Find out about the new children's karate book that will help raise funds for our club, which will be published early in 2022.

Read Newsletter

There is a 60 minute online training session with Sensei, which starts at 4pm on Sunday 3rd October. Even though it is school holidays. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

Tomorrow evening we will be using te reo Māori in our karate training. Sensei will be practicing tonight so that he will not need to use the guide to much.
Last time we did this you helped Sensei by correcting his pronunciation and in some cases taking over when he was struggling.
There will be printed A5 copies of our guide so that you can take them home with you.

Wellington Community Trust have just approved our request for a grant for operational funding. This will allow us to run the club until the end of 2022.

A massive thank you to Wellington Community Trust for their support!

We will be returning to the dojo this Wednesday now that we are at Alert Level 2. We will be following our COVID-19 plan to keep you safe. The key points are listed below.

1) You must use contact tracing. The club has a QR code.
2) It is best to wear a mask. There will be disposable masks.
3) Stay two metre away from each other.
4) There is a limit of 15 people in the dojo.

Here is a link to our COVID-19 plan which includes a link to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 web pages. If you have any questions please contact Sensei Steve.

Be Safe, Be Kind.

Visit Website

The Khandallah Town Hall, our dojo, will not be opening until the alert level moves down to level 2.

Our Zoom Dojo will be open at 4pm and then again at 7pm. If there is a better date or time for you let Sensei know and we can see if we can move the time or add more classes. Each session will last for an hour. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and he will adjust the class plan.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

This is a 60 minute online training session with Sensei, which starts at 6pm on Wednesday 25th August. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and he will adjust the class plan.

Also it is someone's birthday tomorrow. So they may get Happy Birthday sung twice, once in the Zoom Class and again when they return to the dojo!

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

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I am very sorry to have to announce that we are suspending all classes until next Wednesday, where we will re-assess the situation based on guidance from the Ministry of Health. This is from immediate effect so there is no class this week. This is due to the New Zealand going to Level 4 lock-down for the next three days.

I will be running a zoom class this week on Wednesday at 6pm instead of our normal class so we can all train together. I had not planned to run a 7pm zoom class, but happy to do so I there is anyone who can't make the 6pm class.

If you want to chat you can call or text me on 027 240 2717. Keep safe and be kind to one another.

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Did you know you can share your karate pictures in our Dojo Gallery? As a club member you can add your own memories when you are logged into your account.

Just think of a title and a description of the picture for someone who can't see and upload your photo. It is that easy.

Visit Website

Karate will be at the 2020 Olympics for the very first time! There will be 80 karateka from 36 countries competing in 8 events. Andrea Anacan from Auckland who will be representing New Zealand.

The competitions will take place between 5 and 7 August at the Nippon Budokan. The Budokan was originally built for the judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Two karate disciplines will be featured. Kumite is the sparring discipline and will have three weight classes each for men and women. Kata is the solo form discipline, and will have one event each for men and women. Competitors choose the kata to demonstrate from 102 kata that are recognized by the World Karate Federation.

Sensei will be watching every event.

You can now book do family bookings for Zoom classes. This works if your family shares the same email address. Any family member that uses their own email address will have to book Zoom classes as an induvial. The booking email will now list all the family members and the days they have signed up for.

Thank you to Jen for giving Sensei the idea for this improvement.

This video shows you how easy it is to make a family booking.

Watch Video

This week will be our 300th class! To celebrate there will be some cake after we have finished training. There will also be a certificate for everyone who attends this special class.

You can now book your place on Zoom classes for the next three months. This will allow Sensei to see if anyone wants to attend. You can make you booking right up to the last minute.

You do need to have an account, which you all do, so that you can receive the password to join the class.

This video shows you how easy it is to make a booking.

Watch Video

Matariki is the Maori name for the small cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, in the Taurus constellation.

In New Zealand it comes into view low on the north-eastern horizon, appearing in the tail of the Milky Way in the last days of May or in early June, just before dawn.

This heralds the Maori New Year. To celebrate I will be training on the beach at Scorching Bay before sunrise (about 6am).

Here is the Winter issue of Ability, the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue we talk about karate tournaments and what what we will be doing to train for the next competition in 2022.

Read Newsletter

Now that we are back to level one in Wellington we will be able to return to training this week. To celebrate we will be practicing our partner drills and kata.

Even though we are back to level please continue to use the COVID tracer app.

This is a 60 minute online training session with Sensei to make up for the cancellation of this week's class. The class will be on Saturday and will start at 4pm. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and he will adjust the class plan.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

It has been almost a year since the website had a major update. Changes have been made to the Home page to improve to include the latest picture in the Dojo Gallery and better looking news and events stories.

The Dojo Gallery page now has filter buttons so that you can see just the pictures for a given year. If you are logged into your account you can add your own memories to the gallery.

If you are logged into your account news and events stories will now show members only information. This includes things such as the passwords for our Zoom dojo classes. So rather than having to find the email with the password you can now find it through the website.

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Classes will running from next Wednesday if we remain a Alert Level 2. We will be following our COVID-19 plan to keep you safe.

Here is a link to our COVID-19 plan which includes a link to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 web pages, which has lots of useful information.

If you have any questions please contact Sensei Steve.

Be Safe, Be Kind

Visit Website

I am very sorry to have to announce that we are suspending all classes until next Wednesday, where we will re-assess the situation based on guidance from the Ministry of Health. This is from immediate effect so there is no class on tonight.

I will be running a zoom class this week I will send out an invite soon.

If you want to chat you can call or text me on 027 240 2717. I will miss you all terribly, so keep safe and be kind to one another.

This is a 60 minute online training session with Sensei, which starts at 4pm on Sunday 6th June You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and will will adjust the class plan.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

Tonight we will be focusing on self defence. You will see how your karate can be used in a real world scenario.

It will be lots of fun!

The Easter holidays have meant that many of you have been away and have been unable to attend training. This means that some of you who would have been grading next week may need a little more time to get ready.

We have moved the grading class back two weeks to the 19th May to give you extra time to practice.

Sunday is ANZAC Day. There are a number of services this Sunday. Sensei will be at the 6am Dawn Service to remember all those service personnel who have kept us safe and free.

Lest we forget.

Wednesday 21st April will be a special class celebrating our club birthday. We will be three years old!

We opened the dojo doors for the first time on 18th April 2018.

Here is the Autumn issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue Kuma Sensei and Little Blue take about using the Bo and Kobudo.

Read Newsletter

The April newsletter is running a little late. We hope to have it in your hands by the next class. In the April issue we will be talking about training with the Bo in the second class and how to prepare for your next grade.

On the 7th April we will have our Easter class. Remember to dress up in your favorite Easter costume.

There will be Easter eggs, lolly scramble and lots of games. Can you hop higher than Sensei?

Everyone is welcome both old and new students!

There will be no Zoom Class this month, because Sensei is going to be at a friend's wedding.

Wednesday classes will run as normal. Remember that the class on the 7th April will be our special Easter class.

I will be collecting for the Red Puppy Appeal from 11am until 1pm outside Khandallah New World supermarket.

I hope we collect lots of money so that lots of guide dogs can be trained.

This is a 60 minute online training session with Sensei, which starts at 4pm on Sunday 7th March. Please note the new 4pm start time. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and will will adjust the class plan.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

Classes will still be running on Wednesday. We will be following our COVID-19 plan to keep you safe. If you cannot make class there is always the Zoom class this Sunday.

Here is a link to our COVID-19 plan which includes a link to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 web pages, which has lots of useful information.

If you have any questions please contact Sensei Steve.

Be Safe, Be Kind

Visit Website

At the AGM a fantastic idea was discussed and that was to add a Dojo Gallery to the website.
Here is the result of that great idea. Anyone who has an account can publish picture in the gallery. Only the owner of a picture can remove it, but you can ask that person to remove a picture for any reason.

Sensei has already published some pictures from the last couple of years. More will be added!

Visit Website

We will be holding the clubs AGM on Wednesday 17th February at Khandallah Town Hall at 6:30pm. This is instead of our normal class and will take about half an hour.
We will provide a draft copy of the annual report before the meeting. So if you are unable to attend you can still have your say.

If you have not received a copy of the AGM documents and would like a set please send an email to Sensei (sensei@karatedojo.nz).

We have just republished our updated club response plan to the Coronavirus COVID-19 on the website. It gives details about how we will respond to COVID-19 now we have returned to level 2.

It includes a link to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 web pages, which has lots of useful information.

If you have any questions please contact Sensei Steve.

Be Safe, Be Kind

Visit Website

Here is the Summer issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue Ebisan, Little Blue and Kiwi Bro's friend, provides tips on how to do a good kiai (Shout).

There is also a recording of our radio advert, which was created by the MediaWorks Foundation for Free!

Read Newsletter

Wednesday is our very first class of 2021. It is the start of an exciting year of karate, including the introduction of Kubudo training in our focus class.

Do you have a goal for this year?

We have managed to get 60 x 30 seconds of radio advertising thanks to MediaWorks.

They are due to air between Monday 18th for a whole week on MoreFM and The Edge.

How cool is that? Let me know if you hear it.

On the 16th December we will have our Christmas class. Lots of games and fun. There will be awards, lollies and Christmas crackers.

This will be our last class of the year. We back on 20th January 2021!

All students are welcome both past and present. This has been a unique year and it would be wonderful to see you before we all head off to celebrate Christmas.

This is a 60 minute training session with Sensei, which starts at Sunday 6th December at 11am in New Zealand and Saturday 5th December at 7pm in Boston.

You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and will will adjust the class plan.

We will run this zoom class on the first Sunday (NZ) every month.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

We are back in our dojo. The Khandallah town hall. I look forward to seeing you there!

It will be exciting to see what has changed.

Here is the Spring issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue Neko, Little Blue and Kiwi Bro's friend, provides tips on how to do a good outside hooking block (Soto uke).

Read Newsletter

This is a 60 minute training session with Sensei, which starts at Sunday 1st November at 11am in New Zealand and Saturday 31 October at 7pm in Boston. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and will will adjust the class plan.

We will run this zoom class on the first Sunday (NZ) every month.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

On the 28th October we will have our Halloween class. Remember to dress up in your best Halloween costume.

Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
Is your karate strong enough to hold back the hordes of prowling zombies?
Can you defeat a zombie with a single strike?
Come to class and find out if you are a survivor or a snack.

There will be gooey lollies and ghostly games. Can you scare Sensei?

The hall will be closed from Wednesday 28th October until Wednesday 11th November. This is to allow the big door on left-hand side of the hall to be repaired.

For the three weeks the hall is unavailable we will be training at the Khandallah Presbyterian Church hall opposite New World. There is a map included on the website News and Event page

Wednesday 28 October
Wednesday 4 November
Wednesday 11 November

This is a 60 minute training session with Sensei, which starts at Sunday at 11am in New Zealand and 7pm Saturday evening in Boston. You can wear your Gi or not, it is up to you. We will follow the normal class format. If you want to focus on anything let Sensei know and will will adjust the class plan.

We will run this zoom class on the first Sunday (NZ) every month from now on.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

We have just updated the website to show the times of the new Zoom classes. First Sunday of the month at 11am NZ time.

Now that we are back to level one in Wellington we will be able to return to partner work and self defence drills.

We will still provide hand sanitiser and the code for your COVID tracer app.

The club has been invited to run a karate session for dsport (previously known as Parafed Wellington) at the Victoria University Recreation Centre for a Karate session at 11.30am.

It would be great to see you there in your gi. This will be a great opportunity to show your awesome karate skills.

Class is on tonight. However, we will be running at level 2 restrictions.

Visit Website

Here is the Winter issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue Little Blue and his friends remind you to sign up on the website so that we can contact trace at the dojo. We are also looking to set up monthly video zoom meetings.

Stay safe and be kind.

Read Newsletter

A new field has been added to your account page. This field will allow you to add an alternative email address. This alternative email address will be CCed when a news item is sent out or a change is made to your account. This could be used to send notification, such as the hall being closed, to your work email or another family member's email address.

I am very sorry to have to announce that we are suspending all classes until next Wednesday, where we will re-assess the situation based on guidance from the Ministry of Health. This is from immediate effect so there is no class on tonight. This is due to the Khandallah Town Hall closing the hall for the next three days.

I will be running a zoom class this week I will send out an invite soon.

If you want to chat you can call or text me on 027 240 2717. I will miss you all terribly, so keep safe and be kind to one another.

We have just published our updated club response plan to the Coronavirus COVID-19 on the website. It gives details about how we will respond to COVID-19 now we have returned to level 2.

It includes a link to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 web pages, which has lots of useful information.

If you have any questions please contact Sensei Steve.

Be Safe, Be Kind

Visit Website

I was privileged to be able to take part in a remarkable class with Tetsuhiro Hokama Sensei. I have so many things I want to apply to my karate. I suspect I only understood a fraction of the wisdom he was giving to us.
I will be adding what I have learned to our training.

I found in my pencil case a Cross red pen. I am not sure if someone has left it in the dojo and I have accidentally picked it up.

Matariki is the Maori name for the small cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, in the Taurus constellation.

In New Zealand it comes into view low on the north-eastern horizon, appearing in the tail of the Milky Way in the last days of May or in early June, just before dawn. This year the start of Matariki is 13th July.

This heralds the Maori New Year. To celebrate I will be training under the stars on the beach at Scorching Bay to see the sunrise (7:44am).

Here is a short video on how Sensei created the very first Braille certificates of Rank for one of our students.

We are using the secondhand Romeo RB20 Braille printer we found on eBay.
Our club newsletter July newsletter (and all future newsletters) will now be available in Braille.

Watch Video

Here is a short video on how Sensei creates Braille certificates.

We have found a secondhand Romeo 25 Braille printer on eBay, which will allow us to produce Braille versions of all our documents including our club newsletter.

Watch Video

Class will be returning to the dojo this week. This will also be the 100th class for the club. So two reasons to celebrate!
There will be a few rules we must follow during Level 2 such as staying 2 metres apart and you will need to register on the website so that we can contact trace.

There will be a special certificate for everyone who attends.

This is a 30 minute training session with Sensei, which starts at 6pm. You can wear your Gi or not. We will continue our focus on basics and some combinations that are based on First Kata (Taikyoku Jodan).

This may be the last Zoom class as I hope we will be able to open the dojo next week. I will let you know once I have the confirmation from Khandallah Town Hall.

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

This is a 30 minute training session with Sensei, which starts at 6pm. You can wear your Gi or not. We will continue our focus on basics and some combinations that are based on First Kata (Taikyoku Jodan).

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

We have just finished updating the website so that we can record who has visited the dojo even if they are not a student. Parents and caregivers please register on the website before we next open the dojo doors. You can use the same email as other people in your bubble. Just press Duplicate rather than Save.

By doing this we can help keep everyone we know safe and in the event that someone gets sick we can let everyone know that they need to self-isolate. Of course we would never share your details with anyone only that someone at the club is unwell.

Be Safe and Be Kind.

This is a 30 minute training session with Sensei, which starts at 6pm. You can wear your Gi or not. We will focus on our basics and some combinations that are based on First Kata (Taikyoku Jodan).

There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

Login for more information

I have just ordered some custom face masks for the club so that we have them for when the dojo reopens.

The are washable so you can take them home and keep them.

This is a 30 minute training session with Sensei. It is every Wednesday and starts at 6pm. You can wear your Gi or not. We will focus on our basics and some combinations, which are like mini kata you can do at home. The link to the Zoom meeting should work every week from now on. There is a special Zoom Class entry for your karate journey.

See you all on Wednesday!

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In this video Sensei demonstrates how to practice Kata Sanchin at home and how to use the Nigiri Gami (Gripping Jars).

Watch Video

This is just a 30 minute session and starts a 6pm on Wednesday. You can wear your Gi or not. We will focus on our basics and some combinations, which are like mini kata you can do at home.

See you all on Wednesday!

Login for more information

Saturday is ANZAC Day. Please join me by standing at the end of your drive at 6am to remember all those service personnel who have kept us safe and free.

Lest we forget.

This will be our very first attempt to train together since the lock-down. It has been over a month since we were in the dojo.
This is just a 30 minute session and starts a 6pm on Wednesday. You can wear your Gi or not. If you enjoy this we can meet up every Wednesday on Zoom until we return to the dojo.

See you all on Wednesday!

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Here is the Autumn issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue Little Blue and is best friend Kiwi Bro talk about bubbles tips.

Stay safe and be kind

Read Newsletter

Sensei shows you what two metres looks like and how you can use Mum and Dad as a measuring stick.

Watch Video

In this video Sensei demonstrates techniques on how to practise First Kata (Taikyoku Jodan) when you have limited space.

Keep an eye on how Sensei moves his feet when going backwards rather than forwards.

Watch Video

Here is home training video number 4. In this video Sensei focuses on our basic blocks.

Watch Video

Here is the third home training video. In this video Sensei focuses on basic strikes. We see front back fist (ura uchi) in slow motion. Sensei uses these videos to find areas in his karate that need to be improved.

Watch Video

Here is the second home training video. We run through our standard warm up routine and than we look at some strike basics. Although I am training with BOB you can train by doing your strikes in the air as we do in the line drills.

We will not be doing the warm up on very video so please refer back to this video.

Watch Video

Here is the very first home training video. Sensei shows you his little home dojo. And you get to meet his pet rats, River, Amy (her tail) and Rose.

There will be a new video every day or so. The next video will be on strikes and will include how to warm up before training.

Watch Video

I am very sorry to have to announce that we are suspending all classes until Wednesday 6th May, where we will re-assess the situation. This is from immediate effect so there is no class on Wednesday.

When the club reopens in May we will have an extra special class to celebrate Easter and the clubs birthday.

I will be posting training videos online so you can train at home and I will set up a google hangout so that we can get together. I am also working on an online version of the BALL GAME!

If you want to chat you can call or text me on 027 240 2717. I will miss you all terribly, so keep well and be kind to one another.

The person who was tested for Coronavirus COVID-19 has had their results back and they are clear.

This means that class will be back on next week. Thank you for your patience and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Five new karate uniforms (gi) arrived this afternoon. We will put the badges on over the weekend. You will be able to put them on at the next class!

There is no class tonight a person who works with Senseis wife may have been exposed to Coronavirus COVID-19.

That person has been tested and is waiting for their results.

If the person has been infected, Sensei and his family will be tested.

The risk of infection is extremely low, but as a precaution Sensei and his family have decided to self-isolate.

This means that class tonight is cancelled.

Please make sure you are registered on the website so that Sensei can update you. If you have any problems with your registration there are instruction videos on YouTube. Alternatively contact Sensei on 027 240 2717 or by email sensei@karatedojo.nz and he will help you.

We have just published our club response plan to the Coronavirus COVID-19 on the website. It gives details about how we will respond in the event COVID-19 arrives in our community.

It includes a link to the Ministry of Health COVID-19 web pages, which has lots of useful information.

If you have any questions please contact Sensei Steve.

Visit Website

We are currently working on a plan for how the club will respond to the Coronavirus COVID-19. We aim to have a first draft of the plan for you to comment on at the next class.

This is just another form of self defence and one of the main aspects of self defence is being prepared.

The New Zealand Disability Karate Association the Halberg STEP model to modify training so that everyone can take part.

STEP stands for SPACE, TASK, EQUIPMENT and PEOPLE. All of these elements of a training exercise can be modified to allow all students to join in.

The video provides more details.

Watch Video

We have just improved the security of the website by adding a login time-out to help block automated cyber attacks.

Our latest test result from Mozilla Observatory gives us 105/100 (A+). Although we are extremely happy with this score we will continue to monitor and check for any new threats as part of our continuous improvement policy.

There will be a special beach class at Scorching Bay on Sunday 16th February starting at 10am.

There is the chance that you might get wet!

Remember to wear your togs under your Gi and to put on sunblock.

In addition to the beach class on Sunday I will be training on the beach at Scorching Bay on Saturday.

I normally get to the beach about 7:30am and finish about 11am.

I do this most weekends and anyone is welcome to join me at anytime.

It just some friends training together on the beach.

Tonight is our very first class of 2020. It is the start of an exciting year of karate.
How many grades will you achieve this year?

Here is the Summer issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter. AND the first newsletter this decade!

In this issue Little Blue and is best friend Kiwi Bro provides tips on partner work.

Read Newsletter

The Home Page has been updated to enable the system to generate a rolling three month class timetable. In the past Sensei has had to update the timetable each month now it happens automatically.
One less thing to worry about and a lot of fun to code.

On the 18th December we will have our Christmas class. Lots of games and fun. There will be awards, lollies and Christmas crackers.

This will be our last class of the year.

Great news! We have just had it confirmed that we can have the hall every Wednesday from now on. This means that the Friday class moves to Wednesday.

The new timetable for 2020 will be available at class.

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

We will be holding the clubs AGM on Wednesday 27th November at Khandallah Town Hall at 6:45pm. This just after our normal class and will take about half an hour.
We will provide a draft copy of the annual report before the meeting. So if you are unable to attend you can still have your say.

On the 30th October we will have our Halloween class. Remember to dress up in your best Halloween costume.

There will be gooey lollies and ghostly games. Can you scare Sensei?

This video shows you how to add to your karate journey on the www.karatedojo.nz website. It also shows you how you can review a summary and the details of your journey.

Watch Video

Little Blue has a new friend call Kiwi Bro. They like to train together and will help you to understand how do improve your kumite and self-defense skills by showing you some really cool moves.

Here is the Spring issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue Little Blue provides tips on how to keep your fish happy.

Read Newsletter

It is important to have a training plan so that even if you are having a bad day you can still get value out of your training.

Watch Video

We are starting to gather the information for the clubs annual report. The report will be submitted to Charities Services at the beginning of November.

Club members will be able to see a draft report at the end of October.

Congratulations to our new orange belt (8th kyu) student. You have been training so hard.

Well done!

Here is a video on what kata is and how it supports training. Is it end game or a training tool?

Watch Video

We have just added a link to the club's YouTube channel on the home page.
You will find all kinds of karate videos including how to tie your belt and to create an account to track your karate progress.

The embossing press to add Braille to our business cards and flyers has arrived. This allows us to provide contact details to students who are living with a visual impairment.

It is fantastic!

This video shows you how to create an account on the website. It also shows you how to link to accounts together by using the same email address. This is great for families that only use one email address.

Watch Video

Over the next couple of weeks there will be a mailbox drop around the area. We have had 1000 A6 flyers printed and just need to pop them in peoples mailboxes.

I wonder if we will get any new students joining us.

We have just published our privacy policy on the website. It gives details about how we use your information and what rights you have under the Privacy Act.

If you have any questions please contact Sensei Steve.

Visit Website

Here is the Winter issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter.

In this issue Little Blue provides tips on kata Sanchin.

Read Newsletter

Matariki is the Māori name for the small cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, in the Taurus constellation.

In New Zealand it comes into view low on the north-eastern horizon, appearing in the tail of the Milky Way in the last days of May or in early June, just before dawn.

This heralds the Māori New Year. To celebrate I will be training on the beach at Scorching Bay before sunrise (about 6am).

Our next grading class will be on Wednesday 12th June. So remember to practice your kata and your Japanese names for blocks.

Please invite family and friends to help celebrate this amazing first step. Remember to bring your cameras!

We are in the process of opening an Apple developer account so that we can start creating apps that can be sold to raise fund for the club.

The first two apps will be a help you with your karate and will enable you to see how fast you are punching if you have an Apple Watch.

Here is the Autumn issue of Ability the New Zealand Disability Karate Association Newsletter. Rather than using a digital voice for the audio version Sensei has read the newsletter for you.

Please let Sensei know which one you prefer.

Read Newsletter

Wednesday 17th April will be a special class celebrating Easter and our club birthday. We will be one year old!

Just to remind everyone that class is on tonight. The focus will be on your kata and getting ready for your next grade.

The class on Wednesday 27th March has been cancelled, because Sensei is going to be away that day.

The next class will be Friday 5th April. See you there!

What would you do if you saw someone having a cardiac arrest? Here is one of the best CPR training videos I have ever watched.
Enjoy and maybe save someone's life!

Watch Video

The first karate black belt was issued in 1937. Before then there were no black belts in karate.

Watch Video

A reminder that this week class will be on Friday 8th March not Wednesday 6th March. The general class will still start at 6pm and the adult class will start at 7pm.

Hope to see you there

Finally here is the very first club newsletter. It has taken a while to produce. We wanted it to be readable on any type of device (desktop or mobile). It also had to be accessible to anyone who made use of a screen reader.

We hope you find it factual and fun. We would also like to hear your feedback on how we can improve it. If there are any stories you want published please let Sensei know and we will try to get them into the next issue.

Read Newsletter

I am very excited to be able to announce that we are starting a second class.

Our general class will still run from 6pm until 7pm. The new class will run from 7pm until 8pm. The days remain the same.

This new class will be more adult orientated. So no games unlike the general class which is designed for all ages.

The little blue penguin has a name. He was given the name by the students.

His name is Pango Whitiki Korora, which means Black Belt Little Penguin in te Reo Maori.

This is the Little Blue Karate Penguin. Who looks a little sad at the moment because he does not have a name.

Can you think of a good Kiwi name for this little penguin after all he is from New Zealand.

Our latest test result from Mozilla Observatory gives us 100/100 (A+). Although we are extremely happy with this score we will continue to monitor and check for any new threats as part of our continuous improvement policy.

Wednesday 19th December is our last class of the year. The class will have as festive theme and there may be some awards for an awesome year of karate training.

A Quick Karate Tip: set a goal for your training session before you head to the dojo.

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A reminder that this week class will be on Friday 7th December not Wednesday. The class will still start at 6pm.

Hope to see you there

We had just finished performing Taigyoku Shodan (1st kata) and I had an insight into what makes a black belt.

Everyone had recovered apart from the black belt who was still breathing hard.

Black belts put everything they have into everything they do.

We have just purchased Comic Life, an app that we will use to create the newsletter for the club. We are working on ensuring that it is fully accessible as well as being fun to read.

The first issue will be out this side of Christmas and then every quarter from now on.

A reminder that this weeks class will be on Friday 9th November not Wednesday. The class will still start at 6pm.

Hope to see you there.

On Halloween night, we are having a special class with prizes for the best costume or mask and lots of lollies.

Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse?

Is your karate strong enough to hold back the hordes of prowling zombies?

Can you defeat a zombie with a single strike?

Come to class and find out if you are a survivor or a snack.

A lot of people come into karate really enthusiastic, but end up leaving after a couple of years because they burn themselves out.

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Our little karate family has grown to 7 students. This is so awesome.

We have just received the te Reo Maori translation of the karate terms we use in the dojo.

From now on our training will consist of a mixture of te Reo Maori, Japanese and English.

We are also working on a translation of our karate terminology into New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). This will be a series of short videos.

In keeping with our inclusive policy of karate for everyone. We are extending our dojo pronounciation guide to include te Reo Maori.

During our training we will sometimes use te Reo Maori rather than English or Japanese.

Congratulations to all our new 9th Kyu (yellow belt) students. An awesome achievement and a big step towards your black belt.

I am extremely proud of you all.

Friday 7th September is our very first grading class. This is a significant step in a karateka's journey. Very few people who start karate achieve this grade.
Please invite family and friends to help celebrate this amazing first step. Remember to bring your cameras!

We have just had some fantastic News! We are finalists in the 2018 AMI Community Grants. If we win this would fund us for an entire year. Enabling us to continue providing free training and uniforms to all our club members.

Please can you get behind us and show your support by clicking on the link below to vote for us.

Visit Website

True progression in karate comes from personal training not the dojo. Your learn techniques in the dojo that you can then practice in your own time.

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You can now filter news and events by year. Simply click on the year button and all the entries for that year will be displayed.

It is important to have a well formed karate fist so that you can strike hard and not damage your hand.
Here is a video that will walk you through the method I use. I hope you find it useful.

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You can now use just one email for the whole family. This means that you can see all the training records of everyone who uses that email address. This is great for parents who want to easily see how their children are progressing.

If in the future you want to have a separate account simply use a different email address all your training records will move with you.

Another feature is the new duplicate button on the account maintenance page. This allows you to create a new account without having to re-type everything again.

This Sunday at 1pm we will be running a karate and self-defense seminar with the Parafed Wellington Youth Group. This will be a lot of fun for everyone.

Please ensure you have loose fitting comfortable clothing and a drink bottle.

This will be at
ASB Sports Centre (on court 2)
72 Kemp Street
Kilbirnie.

There are many ways to tie your belt (obi). Here is a video that will walk you through the method I use. I hope you find it useful.

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A reminder that next weeks class will be on Friday 29th June not Wednesday. The class will still start at 6pm.

Hope to see you there.

Max and Sam look so smart in their new uniforms (gi). They are heading towards their yellow belts. I am so looking forward to one day presenting them with their black belts.

The website has been updated to enable your Sensei to see a contact list in the event of an emergency.

We are open for business! Come along learn new skills and have fun.

Only 1 day until we open the dojo doors for the very first time.

Only 2 days until we open the dojo doors for the very first time.

Only 3 days until we open the dojo doors for the very first time.

Only 4 days until we open the dojo doors for the very first time.

Only 5 days until we open the dojo doors for the very first time.

Only 6 days until we open the dojo doors for the very first time.

Only 7 days until we open the dojo doors for the very first time.

Our Head Instructor is now Pre Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC) Certified. This is the highest level of First Aid a non-paramedic can achieve in New Zealand.

Our dojo first aid kits now have equipment to match this level of certification. This includes an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

We have just signed the agreement for our new dojo. It is the Khandallah Town Hall. It has great wheelchair access and has recently been refurbished.

As you know we have been working on the security of the website by implementing the latest security policy recommendations. This was to ensure your information remains safe.

Our latest test result from Mozilla Observatory gives us 100/100 (A+). Although we are extremely happy with this score we will continue to monitor and check for any new threats as part of our continuous improvement policy.

We have been working on the security of the site by implementing the latest security policy recommendations. This is to ensure your information remains safe.

We decided to use the banking services of ANZ. The facilities they provide best meet our needs.

Now we have a bank account we can sign agreements for insurance and hall hire, which are key to enabling us to opening the doors to the dojo.

The New Zealand Disability Karate Association is now a registered charity. This means we now open a bank account and get insurance, which means we are on track to open the dojo doors in the New Year.

Our Registration number is CC55053.

To ensure that everyone can easily understand what we say on the website. We have just had the whole website checked for readability. All pages have score an A!

The quarterly Newsletter subscription feature has been added to the Make a Donation page of the website.

The first newsletter will be out on the 1st January.

A new page has been added to the website. It details the key areas of our karate along with a breakdown of what is expected of you at your first grading.

If a student has entered their date of birth on the account page their birthday will appear on the journey page. This so that that it can be celebrated at the dojo.

At NZ-DKA we believe that every aspect of a student's life is important and should be acknowledged.

Buttons and menus are now removed and the background images are cleared so that printing can work regardless of the browser you use.

Had a small problem with date entry in that you could end up with 00/mm/yyyy if letters were used. If that occurs now the system will use todays date.

All of the functionality of the website has been delivered. The last part was to create the administration capability including the bulk account update options.

The karate journey pages have been completed. Students can now see their attendance, grades and awards on line.

The bulk update and administration options for Sensei will be added to the site over the next couple of days.

The Our Mission page has been updated to make the club objectives clearer. A new section has been added explaining our grade structure and the meaning behind the belt colours.

The website has been going through a major review. This has been to enable you to access the site from mobile devices and to improve the accessibility of the site.

The next phase is review the readability of pages such as the Mission Statement page.

The design for the new lifetime membership cards has been approved and sent to the printers for production. The first batch should arrive in the next 10 days.

The new gi badges arrived in the post this morning. We are extremely happy with their quality and I am sure all club members will be very proud to sport them on their gi.

The New Zealand Disability Karate Association now has a Twitter handle. It is @karatedojonz.

The Management Team has submitted an application to the New Zealand Charities Services to register the New Zealand Disablity Karate Association as a charity.

The proof for the new Gi badge has approved for printing and should be arriving in the next couple of weeks!

The New Zealand Disability Karate Association has made a small change to their logo the gi now fastens on the correct side.

Join us to mark the sixth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) access/inclusion and people with different disabilities.

It is New Zealand Sign Language Week and there are many events happening to celebrate the Deaf Community.
You can download the image of the finger spelling chart and strike up a conversation!

The karate journey page was becoming over complex and could have introduced a security hole. The development team has been working on a cleaner design, which will be released shortly.

The work on the journey entry page is progressing well. The page can create a new entry for an individual karateka and it can identify if an existing record is being edited. The actual retrieving the existing details is underway. Once this is done the work on the Sensei functions for the page will commence.

The website development for the New Zealand Disability Karate Association is well underway and on track. Work is scheduled to complete 30 September 2016.

I have just completed level 1B New Zealand Sign Language course. As part of the instructor's manual there will be a section on basic signing.

If any instructors want to become more proficient we will send them on a course. If we have enough interest we may even hire a tutor to run a course for us.

The world of Karate keeps showing gratitude and excitement a week after the historic decision of the International Olympic Committee to add Karate in the sport programme of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. As the ancient discipline celebrates the one week mark of the memorable moment, waves of joy continue spreading among all the members of the sport.

Completed overview of dyslexia and other learning difficulties run by SPELDNZ. Some very interesting findings.

A section of instructor training will be around teaching people with learning difficulties and how to adapt lesson plans.

Work on the business case has commenced. The aid is to identify the benefits of the club for the disabled community, costs to run the New Zealand Disability Karate Association, how long it will take to set up and key deliverables for the project.