A full account of New Zealand Taekwon-Do history can be
obtained by visiting ITFNZ History.
The History of the Southern Clubs is adapted with additions
from an article by Mr Herbison.
Clubs:
Mosgiel Dunedin Otago
University United club Traditions:
Pain Weekend
Mosgiel Club
The Mosgiel club opened in 1985 training ITF style, with
Dave Hastie (I Dan) then Donald Pete (I Dan) as head instructors.
In 1987 Chan’s martial arts, the national body that the
Mosgiel club was affiliated to, changed styles to Choikwang-Do
but the club decided against this change and reverted back
to an ITF syllabus. Instruction in Choikwang-Do techniques
was not as readily available as ITF techniques at that time.
In late 1990, Mr. Paul McPhail conducted a seminar for the
club on ITF techniques. Then in early 1991 the club joined
ITFNZ under the instruction of Mr. Grant Evans (I dan). Those
not able to adapt to the change in style left the club, however
numbers then boomed under Mr Evans disciplined approach to
training.
 Due
to other committments Mr. Evans was forced to temporarily
pass the running of the club over to Ms. Caroline Seleag,
head instructor.
This change was for a short period 1993-4. Ms. Seleag was
to shift to Greymouth and start the Greymouth club. Instruction
of the Greymouth club was then to be taken by two keen students
Ms. Sonya Smith (I Dan) and Ms. Natalie Ewen (I Dan). Later
Natalie moved to Otago for study leaving responsibility for
instruction with Sonya who continues to do a great job today
despite geographical isolation.
Mosgiel was to have a new head instructor who was later expelled
from ITFNZ for severe misconduct both in and out of the Do-Jang.
This was a difficult time for Mosgiel club and the number
of active members dropped.
Mr. Evans resumed as head instructor facing a difficult task
of rebuilding the club back to its former population of members
and level of expertise. It was shortly after in 1994 that
Mr. Jake Pearson (I Dan) started at Otago University studying
physical education and Japanese. Mr. Pearson began training
with Mr. Evans (II Dan) and together they did a tremendous
job building Taekwon-Do at the Mosgiel club and Dunedin area.
Mr Evans due to work committments passed the instruction
of the club on to Mr James Buchan (2nd Dan) and Colleen Gorton
(1st Dan). A few years around the year 2000 the club was passed
to Mark (1st Dan) and Teresa Allen (1st Dan) who continue
as instructors to this day.
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Dunedin Club
In 1996 Mr. Pearson started a club in Dunedin because both
himself and other members had been traveling out to Mosgiel
twice a week and decided that more people would start Taekwon-Do
if it was more accessible to them.
Mr. Pearson's Dunedin club with its predominent university
base grew quickly. It thrived and in 2001 Mr Pearson regretfully
moved to Wellington to continue his studies.
Mr Daniel Kerr and later Mr and Mrs Keatings, now the current
instructors, served as head instructors of the club after
Mr Pearsons departure.
 The
Mosgiel and Dunedin clubs are very close as far as members
are concerned and social events, trainings, camps, and sports
events for the “Golden gumboot” are a regular occurrence.
This social aspect of these Taekwon-Do clubs is what makes
the Dunedin and Mosgiel clubs such strong clubs with a large
number of members.
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Otago University Club
Mr Kris Herbison, an enthusiastic student of the Dunedin
and Mosgiel clubs, started the Otago
University Club.
More information to follow...
United club
During 1995 one of Mr. Evans black stripes wanted to open
up a club of his own. However, ITFNZ would not allow a black
stripe to open a club, as prescribed in the constitution.
The student then approached South Pacific Taekwon-Do and
they allowed him to open a club and sit his first dan earlier
than ITFNZ allowed. After two years of poor support the instructor
decided to leave South Pacific. Other organisations including
ITFNZ were approached for affiliation and the club was to
be accepted into an Australian organisation. However, this
situation was worse than before as there was even less support
for the club.
Now devoid of any leadership, or senior dan black belts
to grade his students, the instructor began conducting his
own gradings. Soon his students became unsatisfied with this
and began approaching Mr. Pearson at the Dunedin club and
a number joined the club.
The instructor was to leave the club and Ms. Teri Woods (1st
Dan) took it over and following the other students’ example
she applied to join ITFNZ and was accepted in the middle of
1998.
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 The
“Pain Weekend”
Traditionally, the student intending to grade to black belt
trains most weekends. One student, known as “Goldie”
had trouble lowering his intake of intoxicating substances
so he was prone to nausea during these trainings. It was also
presumed that heavy hangovers resulted in an bizzare ability
to withstand pain and extreme physical and mental demands.
These influences when combined with the intensity that results
when Mr Evans and Mr Pearson take training sessions resulted
in a special training that challenged the physical and mental
abilities of participants.
It became accepted by the participants that this was a good
thing. Goldie was followed by “Vincent” grading
to his second dan. Mr. Evans and Goldie, now a black belt,
took Vincent on a camping trip and training session in the
mountains. It was quickly followed by "HB" then
another and so on.
This challenging mountain training session conducted before
a black belt grading is now infamously known as the “Pain
Weekend.”
This experience prepares a student for grading in a uniqely
South Island way. It is enlightning weekend that push's the
envelope and creates friends for life.
The pain weekend tradition continues in the deep south to
this day and allthough not a formal requirement of ITFNZ to
grade, those intending on sitting a dan grading are encouraged
to complete one.
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