Athlete Development
and High Performance
At TNZ we recognise that opportunities may come and go but that being prepared to take those opportunities is a key to success.
In conjunction with our high performance program we also understand that identifying talented athletes and providing a fair, reasonable and transparent pathway to achieving success is a core responsibility that we hold as a governing body.
Our role is to ensure that the pathway is clear and consistent so that athletes, coaches instructors and parents are all on the same page.
Our athletes, our future is an ethos we stand for.
High Performance and development program
Taekwondo New Zealand recognises that to support athletes to succeed and compete at an elite level, we need to provide them with relevant pathways and opportunities to succeed. The camps, and training events are an important part of the High Performance Programme and are intended to help athletes prepare for Elite National and International events. It is our aim to hold camps and training event and seminars throughout the year. Many of these events will not only be for our elite athletes, but also aimed at our developing athletes. This is intended to support our developing athletes, so they can up skill and allow them to easily step up on to the international stage.
Our High Performance Program was launched at the end 2021 with the appointment of Verina Wihongi-Tarawa as High Performance Director and in 2022 our first TNZ High Performance Camps held at the Sport and Ruby Institute, Massey University. The first official year of the High Performance Program has been hugely successful with athlete engagement from all our Member Organisations and around New Zealand. This has provided a base for which TNZ will continue to improve upon and develop. Learning what support our elite and developing athletes, and coaches need to continue to be the best they can to become competitive on the international stage, is paramount. In 2023 Verina Wihongi-Tarawa stepped down as High Performance Director, and Grandmaster Jin Keun Oh was appointed as interim HP director.
Athlete Pathway
(The information below is abridged form the Athlete Pathway document. The full document can be found here)
From Grassroots to Elite level competition.
Taekwondo New Zealand (NZ) recognizes the need for our athletes to be given every opportunity to succeed and this begins at the grassroots level.
Our member organisations are diverse and varied and as part of TNZ they are involved in an inclusive and encouraging environment has on best practices to see their member flourish in the competition space.
We have built a pathway based on respected and valued principles throughout our industry from instructors and coaches within New Zealand.
Where it begins
Our athletes have the opportunity to enter the competitive sport of taekwondo through club, regional, national and finally international events held throughout the calendar year.
Both Kyorgui (sparring) and Poomsae (patterns) streams are offered to competitors and provide vaarious age groupings from cadets (12 to 14 yrs), junior (15 to 17 yrs) and senior (18yrs +).
The international competition category is open to all competitors unless the competition is a representative event for country selection., ie. the New Zealand Taekwondo Team. To be selected to represent New Zealand, athletes need to adhere to the criteria outlined in the TNZ Selection Policy and the specific Selection Document developed for an event.
What you see, you can be
The Taekwondo New Zealand development pathway is a journey that atheltes at all levels can take towards success. Our High Performance Programme envelops and identifies talent from grassroots through to elite via an internal network of instructors and coaches linked at member organisational level.
The ‘what you see, you can be’ mentality is about providing all athletes with a visual representation of their own pathway progress - a look into the past of what athletes have done and what they could one day achieve.
Important dates and information for 2024
Athlete Selection events and dates for expression of interest:
Information coming soon
Selection Documents & Policies:
TNZ Selection Policy (Click Here)