04/08/2026
Some things are worth coming back to.
Meet Tom, one of Shorinji Kempo New Zealand’s original students, who first stepped into the Dojo back in 1974. That’s not a typo - 1974.
The sepia photograph he’s holding? That’s him in action, a few decades ago now, proof that the foundations of this art were being laid long before most of us even knew it existed.
Life took Tom in other directions over a decade or two, but Shorinji Kempo never really left him. He stayed connected, popping in at key events and the odd combined training, keeping that bond alive. And two years ago, he put back on his his gi and came back and fully back.
Now he trains regularly with us at North Shore Branch, and what he brings to the dojo goes far beyond technique. Tom is living proof that Shorinji Kempo is a martial art for life. That it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away, how old you are, or what the years have brought. The dojo will welcome you back.
We are truly privileged to have Tom as part of our kempo family.
North Shore Branch — est. 2006 | Celebrating 20 years in 2026
