Contact us
TNZ logo

      




About TNZ News Documents Officials

WTF Youth Olympic Qualifier - NZ Junior Team Results

 

Held in Tijuana Mexico, between the 3rd and 5th March our three athletes competed well with a top 16 placing overall for Randy Javier.

 

Randy Javier, competing in the male under 55Kg division, had a good win against Tunisia, 5 - 4 in his first match and followed that up with an impressive win against Columbia before losing to Israel in his third match. Randy was still able to crack the top 16 with his three matches.

 

Meanwhile, Chris Casey (male under 63kgs) had a close-fought loss to Tunisia, 2-0 but still put up a strong performance, and our third team-member, Hetal Shukla (female under 49kgs) was outscored from the opening in her match against Guatemala, with the Guatemalan taking the win.

 

Next up our team heads to the WTF Junior World Championships being held between 6th - 9th March, and also in Tijuana.


2010 Junior World Champs NZ Team

Female Under 49kg
Hetal Shuklua – Auckland

Female Under 63kg
Sarah Vergeer - Christchurch    

Male Under 55kg
Randy Javier - Auckland        

Male Under 59kg
Mark Tee - Auckland               

Male Under 63kg
Chris Casey - Christchurch             

2010 Youth Olympic Qualification Event Team

Female Junior Black Belt Under 49kg
Hetal Shuklua - Auckland

Male Junior Black Belt Under 55kg
Randy Javier - Auckland        

Male Under 63kg
Chris Casey - Christchurch             

Team Management
Michael Hannah - Head of Team / Team Coach
Joanne Vergeer - Team Manager
Caroline Tee - Team Medic


Competing Overseas

Intending to compete internationally? See NZ Team Doctor Bren Dorman's recommendations for a personal first aid kit to take with you.

Kiwi Referee to officiate at two major WTF events
 
New Zealand WTF International Referee Stan Wagner, has been appointed by the World Taekwondo Federation as one of only 24 International Referees who will officiate at the forthcoming WTF Qualification Tournament for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and the 8th WTF Junior World Championships. Both events are being held in Tijuana, Mexico during early March.
 
Stan has also officiated internationally at two Oceania Taekwondo Championships, the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships and the South Pacific Taekwondo Games making him one of our most experienced International Referee's
 
Having recently returned from Bangalore, India after attending an International Referees Refresher Course, Stan will become New Zealand’s first International Referee to officiate at the Junior World Championships and a Youth Olympic Qualification event of this magnitude. Taekwondo New Zealand congratulates Stan Wagner on his appointment.

NZ Open

The NZ Open International Championships are being held in Auckland on 17th and 18th April 2010.  This event is open to coloured belt (8th Geup - 1st Geup) and Black Belt competitors, and will include sparring and traditional and creative poomsae competition.  It is open to all WTF Taekwondo style competitors, both TNZ and non-TNZ members.  Requirements for international competitors is that they are members of a WTF style organisation.

Details and Entry Pack can be found here.


Sports Accord Combat Games

The inaugural Sportaccord Combat Games, which will gather 13 combat sports affiliated to Sportaccord, will take place on August 28 – September 4, 2010 in Beijing, China.

This will be the first time that the athletes and officials from 13 different combat sports are meeting together at one event and are able to showcase their respective styles.

Taekwondo will be selecting athletes to compete based on the world ranking gained over the previous year.

5th NZ Martial Arts Hall of Fame Awards 2009

 WTF Taekwondo was recently given further exposure in the New Zealand martial arts community when two TNZ Officials, Master Mike Hannah (National Team Manager) and Master Matt Ransom (Secretary General), were inducted into the New Zealand Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

 Held in Wanganui on the 7th November, Master Hannah and Master Ransom were part of a special evening ceremony that included 14 other inductees from a wide range of martial art styles throughout New Zealand. These included Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Aikido and Taekwondo. Master Hannah and Master Ransom each have over 30 years active involvement in New Zealand Taekwondo at all levels.

 The NZ Martial Arts Hall of Fame Incorporated is a non-profit organisation that recognises the contribution of martial artists and the support of their families. With links to both the Australasian and World Martial Arts Halls of Fame, this award acknowledges long-serving Masters and helps to promote their styles throughout the wider New Zealand martial arts community. Inductees are first nominated by previous inductees and have to meet a strict criteria before their nominations are voted on by the Hall of Fame Board members. For the 2009 Inductions, twenty-three nominations were received of which only sixteen applicants were selected.

 The Awards ceremony included an Inductee Class of 2009 photo, followed by an official welcome and speeches from invited guests which included Wanganui City Councillors and international inductees. The evening event involved a dinner for all inductees, past and present along with their families and students. This was followed by the induction ceremony where each recipient was presented with their official plaque, a specially embroidered commerative black belt and a certificate.

 This is the first time that WTF-style Taekwondo Masters have been inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame. Taekwondo New Zealand congratulates both Master Mike Hannah and Master Matt Ransom on their recent induction.



2009 WTF World Poomsae Championships Report

Held in Cairo Egypt, 30th November - 2nd December, our internationally experienced Kiwi team capitalised on their recent international performances by placing much higher this time than our previous participation at the World Poomsae Championships. Samantha Knox finished 25th overall in the Junior Female Individual division, with Ara Cho also finishing in the top 30 for the Senior Female Individual division. In the Senior Men's Individual division, Peter Ham put up a great performance almost cracking the top 10 by coming in 11th, and in the Female Team Poomsae Division, our team of Marlies Elliott, Samantha Knox and Staci Knox finished up in 14th place.

This is the third time New Zealand has sent a team to compete at the World Poomsae Championships and our best results to date. Poomsae competition has become very popular in New Zealand and there is now a clear path-way for our Poomsae athletes to represent New Zealand at the best of international competitions. The New Zealand National Poomsae Team's performance at the World Championships reflects a big improvement in our international standing and TNZ congratulates the team on a great effort and for representing New Zealand with pride. Also a big thanks to NZ Poomsae Team Manager Sharon Knox who spent many hours arranging the teams participation and looking after them in Cairo, and to Master Ivan Kim for coaching the team to a much improved position on the international rankings.

 

NZ Team Manager Sharon Knox with our Female Poomae Team training at the Pyramids The NZ Team at the big event. Coach Master Ivan Kim, Sam Knox, Staci Knox, Peter Ham, Alex Hee, Ara Cho and Marlies ElliottTaking time out to enjoy the rest of the competition

 

NZ competitor on WTF Television

New Zealand Womens Heavyweight Tneal Wilson was interviewed by WTF TV while attending the WTF World Championships in Denmark.  Formerly from the Blenheim Olympic club, Tneal currently studies and trains in Christchurch.

Tneal Wilson interview

Viewing WTF TV requires Microsoft Silverlight



TNZ President joins WTF Council

At the World Taekwondo Federation General Assembly held in Copenhagen Denmark during the World Championships in October,TNZ President Grandmaster Tae Kyung Kim was elected onto the WTF Council.  This is the first time that WTF Taekwondo in New Zealand has had representation on the Council.  Grandmaster Kim is also the Vice-President of the WTF Oceania Taekwondo Union and Commonwealth Taekwondo Associations.

Grandmaster Kim with WTF President Choue

2009 World Poomsae Championships - NZ National Team
 
TNZ is proud to announce the New Zealand National Poomsae Team to compete at the 2009 WTF World Poomsae Championships being in Cairo, Egypt between 30th November  - 2nd December. The internationally experienced Kiwi team consists of recent New Zealand and Oceania Poomsae Champions. This is the third time New Zealand has sent a team to compete at the World Poomsae Championships as the sport has become very popular in recent years.
 
Female Youth Division 14 – 18 years
Samantha Knox - Wellington    
           
Female 1st Senior Division 19 – 30 years
Ara Cho - Auckland        
           
Male 1st Division 19 – 30 years
Peter Woon Ham -  Auckland    
           
Team 1st Division        
Samantha Knox - Wellington    
Staci Knox – Wellington    
Marlies Elliott – Wellington
           
Pairs 1st Division        
Ara Cho – Auckland        
Seo Hee Ahn – Auckland
 
NZ Team Coach -
Master Ivan Kim
 
NZ Team Manager -
Sharon Knox


More World Championships photos

Vaughn (B) vs NorwayMatt (R) vs VenezuelaDafydd (R) vs Spain

Malcolm (R) vs HungaryAndrea (B) vs Dominican RepublicRobin and Matt
Tneal (R) vs CyprusNZ Team with President Choue

World Champs wrap-up
 
Taekwondo New Zealand is pleased to confirm the official WTF world rankings after the 2009 World Championships. Overall, our NZ Womens Team is now ranked 40th out of 107 countries, and our NZ Mens Team is ranked 64th out of 139 countries. Once again congratulations to our NZ Team and officials for their great effort and performances at the World Champs.


Day Five Update
 
The final NZ Athlete up at the World Champs was our male lightweight Vaughn Scott against Norway. It was another exciting bout with plenty of action and scoring, but the Norwegian edged out to a 12 - 8 win in the end.

The NZ Team have completed their World Champs campaign with some great performances, good wins and another top 16 placing. Competing at the highest level for the first time under the new rules and scoring equipment has been an invaluable experience for our athletes and coaches. The NZ Team would again like to pass on their thanks to all the supporters back home for their messages of support.


Day 4 update

NZ male heavyweight Dafydd Sanders put up a strong performance against Spain before finally losing 7-2.  Making her world championships debut, female middleweight Tneal Wilson lost to Cyprus 10-0, while Andrea Kilday, finweight, had an exciting bout against the Dominican Reblic before her opponent edged out to a 9-6 win.

One more day of competition tomorrow with Vaughn Scott last up for the New Zealand Team.


Day Three Update

Alan Brien, competing in the male featherweight division, put up a good fight but eventually lost to Poland in his preliminary match 5 - 1.  While Malcolm Tester in the male bantamweight division had a close fight with Hungary it was not quite enough to secure the win, with the final score 3 - 1 to Hungary. 

Day Four will be a busy day for the Kiwi Team with Andrea Kilday competing in the female finweight, and our two middleweights Tneal Wilson and Dafydd Sanders also taking to the mats.


Matt and Hayley warm upMatt vs Venezuela

Matt in actionAndrea, Tneal and NZ womens team doctor Jan Serra

Hayley vs Cuba
Day Two Update
 
NZ female featherweight Robin Cheong, secured a top 16 place finish today. Robin's first opponent withdrew due to injury pushing Robin through to her next match against Russia which she won after scoring the golden-point in the sudden death play-off. Next up for Robin was Italy. This was a very exciting and close bout with Robin and her opponent finishing the third round 4-4 and again going through to the sudden death play-off which Italy won 1-0.

Next up for Day Three will be Malcolm Tester in the male bantamweight and Alan Brien in the male featherweight divisions. The New Zealand Team have been boosted by Robin's Top 16 finish.


Day One update

NZ male heavyweight Matthew Beach had a great start with a big win over Venezuela 10 - 2, before losing a hard fought and very close fight against Kazakhstan's Beijing Olympic Bronze medallist, 2 - 1.
While our female welterweight Hayley Schofield managed to hold her opponent from Cuba down to a two to one point gap before the Cuban crept ahead in the last round winning 6-1.
Next up on Day Two will be our female featherweight, Robin Cheong. The team is in great spirits after Matthew and Hayley's inspiring performances today.

2009 World Champs Updates

The New Zealand team have arrived safely in Copenhagen Denmark, registered and settled in well. Team trainings have run smoothly and the team is injury free and ready for competition.
First up will be the heavyweights, and for New Zealand this means that Matthew Beach and Hayley Schofield will be on the mats shortly. The New Zealand team would like to say a big thanks to everyone back home in New Zealand for all their messages of support.

Vaughn Scott, Robin Cheong and Master Oh took the opportunity to train with the Samsung Pro Team in Korea en route to Denmark.

World Junior Championships date change

The competition dates of 8th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships & WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games has been changed.


- WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for 2010 Youth Olympic Games: March 3-4, 2010
- Break: March 5, 2010
- 8th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships: March 6,7,8,9, 2010

The WTF General Assembly will now be held on March 2, 2010, one day before the start of the competitions, while the WTF Council Meeting will take place on March 1, 2010.

The main reason for this change is due to the clash with 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Fundraiser for World Championship athlete

New Zealand's under 73kg womens representative Tneal Wilson has a creative method to help with the cost of competing at the World Championships in Copenhagen in October.  

Tneal, currently studying in Christchurch and training at the Christchurch Olympic Club, trained for many years at Blenheim, where her family still live.  In keeping with Marlborough's best know product, Tneal has designed a label for bottles of wine which are being sold as a fundraiser.


Tneal's wine label

Taekwondo Allows Hijab for Muslim Women

The World Taekwondo Federation’s (WTF) policy of encouraging women’s participation will be highlighted during next month’s World Taekwondo Championships when Muslim women who are obliged to wear a hijab (head scarf) in public will be among about 400 female competitors from more than 140 countries. 

WTF competition rules were formally changed earlier this year to allow the hijab.  

Mr. Dae Won Moon, Chairman of the WTF Technical Committee, said: “The decision allowing the wearing of hijabs in taekwondo tournaments, including during the Olympic Games, is motivating Muslim women who have strong religious beliefs to take a more active part in the sport and the Olympic movement.
 
“This measure means that taekwondo is one of the few sports that treats women and men equally in the Muslim world. We believe that our respect for others’ cultures and beliefs will allow taekwondo to enhance its status as an Olympic sport.”

 The issue of sportswomen who wish to wear Islamic attire was highlighted by a number of women competing in the Beijing Olympic Games last year.

Muslim women competitors wore hijabs for the first time at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
4th New Zealand Black Belt Championships Results
 
This year's New Zealand Black Belt Championships were held on the 29th August at the Avondale College Sports Stadium in Auckland. The new WTF competition regulations were applied and this was a good chance for our senior NZ team members to get some valuable ring time in under the new rules before they depart for the World Championships in Denmark during October.

This year's championships were also the primary selection event for the Junior and Poomsae national representative teams to compete at their upcoming world championships. There was some really new exciting talent coming up through the junior and senior ranks and the New Zealand Team selectors will have much to think about as they consider the athletes performances and before selecting the squads.

Taekwondo New Zealand would like to thank all the volunteers, officials and organisers for their efforts in running a smooth and successful event.

National Championships PoomsaeNational Champs sparring
Results (PDF)

SPARC Strategic Plan

SPARC’s Strategic Plan 2009-2015 is now available on SPARC’s website at: -

http://www.sparc.org.nz/about-sparc/about-us/reports/sparcs-strategic-plan

Olympics News

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board has proposed the list of 26 core sports and 2 additional sports, golf and rugby, to be included in the 2016 Olympic Programme. The proposal will be submitted to the full IOC for a final decision at its session in Copenhagen in October.  This means that Taekwondo will be included in both the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Olympics if the full IOC meeting agrees.

NZ Safety week  7 - 13 September

You will all be aware of the sportsmart 10 point safety plan for sport practice, and ACC advise there is continuing reduction of injuries at work, but a third of all accidents happen at home.  Getting injured at home will prevent you from training just as effectively as getting injured anywhere else, so check out ACC's safety at home website.  There are a variety of resources available, including stuff for kids.

safety begins at home


Taekwondo Olympian weds

2008 New Zealand Taekwondo Olympian Matthew Beach married his fiance Claudia Rodriguez in Giradot, Colombia on the 7th July.  Since the Olympics Matthew has competed for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Championships in Canada and also competed at the New Zealand Open.  Matthew is part of the New Zealand team at the upcoming World Championships in Denmark during October.  Taekwondo New Zealand congratulates Claudia and Matthew on their marriage and wishes them every happiness and a great future.
 

Latest news and research

New Zealand’s world class athletes get funding boost
Sport Creams, Heat Rubs Not So Hot for Treating Muscle Pain
Balance training may help prevent ankle sprains


Serbia Update

Fighting in a very competitive heavyweight division at the World University Games, including a competitor from Mali who was 2.1 meters (7 foot) tall, New Zealand athlete Nicolas Dorman was eliminated in the first round by Paco Torres from Spain, loosing 6:1.

Also at the World University Games, WTF President Chungwon Choue held a gala reception that included FISU (Federation of International University Sports) President Dr. George Killian.  Taekwondo athletes represented the third largest group of the 15 sports at the Games, and for the first time included poomsae competition as well as sparring.

WTF President Chungwon Choue and FISU President  Dr. George Killian
  
Master Norm Edwards

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Master Norm Edwards over the weekend.  Norm suffered a stroke and despite a strong fight passed away on Sunday morning.  He will be greatly missed by his family, students and Taekwondo practitioners around the country.  Norm has been one of the longest serving and hardest working Master Instructors in New Zealand, trained numerous champions and ran many clubs.  His personality and love for his students was well known and he was a respected leader in his community.

The Taekwondo Union of New Zealand will be holding a memorial at their North Island Championships.

Our sincere condolences go to his family and students.

Serbia update 6 July 2009

New Zealand representative Vaughn Scott got a tough introduction to international level University sport when he drew Irans Rouhollah Talebi Kahangi in the first round of the 72-78kg division at the World University Games.  Talebi Kahangi was the 2007 World University Games gold medal winner in this division, also taking gold at the 2008 World University Championships, silver at the 2008 Dutch Open, and bronze at the 2008 World Military Championships.  Vaughn eventually went down 5:1, while his opponent went on to win the division again.
 
Serbia update 3 July 2009

The draw was done today and Vaughn has Iran as his first fight and Nick has drawn Spain.  This will be a difficult draw against two very strong countries, with Iran coming second behind Korea and Spain third in total points scored at the 2008 World Championships.  I expect our fighters will do great, both having had good international experience and success in the last year.  We hope you can support us from New Zealand.
 
Vaughn's first fight is on the 4th of July and Nick is on the 5th.

Today is the last pre-competition training day, so tomorrow we're off to the stadium to watch the opening competition.

Master Oh

Revised WTF Competition Rules

New international competition rules have come into force.  The major changes include;
  • Differentiation in points
    One (1) point for attack on trunk protector
    Two (2) points for a valid turning kick to the trunk protector
    Three (3) points for a successful attack to the face
    “Turning kick” refers to a technique that travels 180 degrees or more commencing with the back turning towards the opponent e.g. back kick, spinning hook kick, spinning round kick.
  • There is no longer an extra point given if the referee counts
  • 7 point margin and 12 point ceiling no longer applies
  • Raising the knee to block the opponents valid technique will result in a penalty
  • Passive play or avoiding the match;
    If both contestants remain inactive after five (5) seconds, the center referee will signal the “Fight” command.  A “Kyong-go” will be declared: On both contestants if there is no activity from them 10 seconds after the command was given; or on the contestant who moved backwards from the original position 10 seconds after the command was given.
  • The ring size is now 8 x 8 metres
  • Deduction penalties are now added to the opponents score rather than deducted from the offending player
  • Revised weight categories
For a full copy of the new rules see here (MS Word document)

Update from Serbia

We arrived safely after some lengthy flights, and have so far recovered from the jet lag. The village here is very large and is a good mixing ground for all of the athletes.

The daily temperature is between 25 and 35 degrees, with rain in the mornings followed by 90% humidity. The time is quite deceiving, it gets light at 3:30am and dark at 9pm, which is good for morning runs and training. The training facilities are good, with mats laid out in one of the halls at the Taekwondo venue.

Nicolas Dorman

At the Games Village

NZ Competes in Taekwondo event at World University Games

Vaughn Scott (Auckland) and Nicolas Dorman (Christchurch) will compete in the Taekwondo event at the 2009 World University Games this week in Belgrade, Serbia.  

 Accompanied by NZ National Team Head Coach Master Jin Keun Oh, this will be the first time New Zealand has participated in Taekwondo at the World University Games. TNZ is very proud of both Vaughn and Nicolas, and on behalf of all members wishes them every success at this significant global high performance event.  The World University Games are the second biggest sporting event in the world after the Olympics, and give athletes a chance to experience the challenges of competing at a major multi-sports event.

Vaughn is completing a diploma of sport at Auckland Uni, and Nicolas is studying engineering at Canterbury.  Welterweight Vaughn won gold in 2008 at the TNZ Black Belt Championships, Korean Open, and Oceania Championships.  Nicolas is competing in the heavyweight division and has previously won gold at the 2008 Oceania Championships and bronze at the Commonwealth Championships.

We will keep you all posted with updates as they come to hand.

Visit the Taekwondo page on the World University Games website.

Vaughn, Master Oh and Nic at Auckland Airport

Latest research reports

Athletes who extended their nightly sleep and reduced accumulated sleep debt reported improvements in various drills conducted after every regular practice.

When it comes to concussions, children and teens require different treatment, according to international experts who recently published consensus recommendations.

Post-exercise consumption of lowfat chocolate milk was found to provide equal or possibly superior muscle recovery compared to a high-carbohydrate recovery beverage with the same amount of calories.

Colds and Flu's

Colds and flu’s travel quickly within clubs at this time of year, and with the continued spread of swine flu TNZ urges members to be particularly careful over the next few months.  Saliva, sweat and blood can carry many others serious diseases as well and good hygiene practices can prevent their spread.

Please observe the following precautions;

•    If you develop flu-like symptoms don’t go to training and do consult your doctor. 
•    Supply your own drink bottle, equipment and towel – don’t share.
•    To prevent cuts when sparring make sure your finger and toenails are cut short, remove jewellery.

The greatest risk of infection is still from overseas travel, so if you are going overseas, stay away from training for a few days after returning to the country.

Please also remember that your greatest protection against infection is regular, thorough hand washing.  The best protection for others if you have symptoms includes hand washing, covering your nose and mouth while coughing and sneezing e.g using the crook of your arm, using and disposing of tissues and keeping a safe distance away from others (at least one meter).


University Blues

Robin Cheong is one of 39 recipients of a 2009 University Blues award.

The NZ Universities Blue is awarded by University Sport New Zealand and is based on the traditional Blue of Oxford and Cambridge.

It is awarded to NZ University Students who have achieved excellence both on and
off the field of play. Presented since 1919, over 2,600 Blues have been awarded to some of NZ’s most famous sporting names such as Richie McCaw, Sarah Ulmer, David Kirk, Anna Lawrence, Anthony Mosse and George Bridgewater.


The awards dinner will take place in Wellington on Friday 5 June.  See here for more details

Sparc Databases and Information

Through the SPARC website you can access considerable information about sport and exercise;

Try;

HEHA (Healthy Eating, Healthy Action) Knowledge Library, an online database of New Zealand –based research and evaluation information focused on physical activity, physical recreation, exercise science and medicine, sport, nutrition, and obesity developed from the year 2000 onwards.

Relay - This is a fortnightly e-newsletter published by the Research Team at SPARC which highlights recent New Zealand and international reports, research and information within the sport and physical recreation sector.  Subjects covered include high performance sport, sports development, sports science and medicine, coaching, healthy active communities, infrastructure to support these activities, and young people.
2009 TNZ Open Championships
 
Held at the Avondale College Sports Stadium on the 28th and 29th March the 2009 NZ Open was an action packed weekend of top Taekwondo. Over 250 competitors from 35 clubs around New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia and Tonga participated in both Fighting and Poomsae competition. The two day event also saw the introduction of the La Just Electronic Body Protector scoring system for all grades from colour belts right through to black belt level.
 
On the Saturday the fighting competition ran all day and into the night. Spectators and participants were treated to some great performances from our Olympians and medals winners at the recent Oceania Championships, and Commonwealth Championships. There was also a lot of new talent becoming apparent in many divisions and with the added element of some top competition from our international guests, the standard was very high at times. This made for a great spectator event throughout the day and with the clarity of the electronic body protector system the spectators were able to better understand the scoring and get behind the athletes and enjoy the action.
 
After a long day and night of fighting, Sunday saw a much more relaxed pace with the Poomsae competition. However, the action in the ring, particularly with the creative Poomsae, was at times very entertaining and spectators and athletes alike were again treated to some great performances from our Oceania Champions and our international competitors who again added a real edge to the competition.
 
TNZ is currently compiling the results of the Fighting and Poomsae competition which will be published shortly.
 
It was certainly a big learning curve for the competitors, coaches and officials and it was great to see everyone pull together and embrace the new system as well as work through some hic-cups along the way. The organisers would like to thank all of the athletes and their coaches for their patience and professionalism during the event. There was a lot of co-operation between participants and officials in ensuring that everyone gained the most out of using the new system. TNZ was very happy with the La Just system and sees this as the way of the future for Taekwondo in New Zealand. The organisers also received a lot of positive feedback and some great suggestions on ways to improve the event next time and these have been noted and will be implemented at the next event.
 
TNZ would like to thank Grandmaster Joon No and his team from La Just Oceania for introducing the new La Just system to New Zealand at this event. The La Just team were very helpful and professional and the system was excellent and very well received by competitors, coaches and the public.
 
Without volunteers and officials none of these events would be possible. This tournament was one of the biggest held by TNZ next to the Oceania Championships.

TNZ gratefully acknowledges the hard work behind the scenes of the dozens of volunteers who helped to organise the 2009 NZ Open as well as all of those who helped over the two-day competition, It was great to see members from all organisations pull together and run a highly successful tournament.



Copyright TNZ