Author: NZ Tai Chi

For eight years the Association has existed financially on the profits received from investments.

The committee at its meeting on the 19^th December has resolved to reinstate subscriptions of $20 per annum from all current members of the Association from the date of this memo. If this affects you, you will receive notification over the next few months.

Imagine coming across a gentle form of exercise that helps maintaining strength, flexibility and balance. Something you could do both indoors and out, alone or in company, and don’t need any special clothing or equipment for. Something that could be done quickly or slowly, sitting or standing, and was low impact yet warmed the body and for those in the diabetes community, lowered blood glucose.

 Tai Chi is both the perfect activity for the rest of your life. According to Harvard Health Publishing ( the consumer health information division of the medical school ), Tai Chi is a mind-body practice that has value in treating or preventing many health problems. It is often described as a meditation on motion but Harvard refers to it as a “medication in motion”

Studies have been done to investigate the effects of Tai Chi on type 2 diabetes. In 2024 findings showed that Tai Chi demonstrates a significant effect to enhance glycaemic control. Lower blood pressure, improve serum lipid profiles. Reduce insulin resistance positively influence obesity related indices and improve quality of life in individuals with type 2 diabetes

TAI CHI IN AOTEAROA

In New Zealand Tai Ch is popular particularly with older Kiwis as it is a recommended exercise for strengthening leg and core muscles in order to prevent falls. You can find links to Tai Chi and other mobility classes on ACC’s website.

The Tai Chi for Health Institute was founded by family physician Dr Paul Lam in 1974. Dr Lam took up Tai Chi to control his arthritis.

He found it helped this as well as his general health, so he designed a series of programmes such as Tai Chi for arthritis and Tai Chi for diabetes. He has produced instructional materials to make Tai Chi easy and enjoyable to learn and investigate further to train to teach his specialist Tai Chi forms.

A GREATER SENCE OF CALM

Jingjing Jackson was never going to avoid meeting up with Tai Chi. Originally from Guangxi in Southwest China she started her Tai Chi journey at age 11 with Kunga Fu and in her 20s onto the Tai Chi path, training under a lay monk from Wudang Mountain, home of the famous complex of Taoist temples and monasteries

She moved to Otautahi in November 2023 from Nelson.

Adapted from the Winter 2025 edition of the Diabetes Wellness Magazine

and has been extremely proactive teaching for the public and running workshops for beginners, experienced tai chi practitioners and instructors.

She has organised over twenty workshops since she has been here.

I contacted her in May 2024 to see if she would play a part in the South Island Tai Chi and QiQong Festival which was held on the 12 October in and her performance was impecable

She was asked in a recent interview for the Diabetes Wellness magazine, what she thinks about the modified forms taught to help various health conditions as was originated by Dr Paul Lam and she believes that any combination of the Tai Chi postures can help

“With one sequence you can have everything, including your happiness, you just need to do tai chi. It has been historically developed in such a holistic way. It’s so smart.

I have enjoyed working with Jingjing since she has been with us and found her to be a vibrant, and passionate  advocate for Tai Chi and admired by her peers. She is moving back to Nelson in November.

Mike Penter

October 2025

After an absence of eight years the Association resolved to hold an exhibition of Tai Chi in 2024. The emphasis of this was to showcase the high standard of Practitioners in the South Island and in this regard we achieved the purpose and the South Island Tai Chi and Qigong Festival was born.

Our Patron Hu Loo Chi spoke very highly of Japanese Tai Chi Master Hideki Kuriyama. during his lifetime and it just so happened that President Trevor Quirk had recently visited Hideki and suggested it would be a tribute to Loo Chi to invite Hideki to demonstrate his outstanding skills to a New Zealand audience.

We then invited a cross section of the South Islands prominent Tai Chi practitioners to complete the program   with those who would lead a demonstration to showcase the amazing variety that exists within the gammit of holistic martial arts.

The order of demonstrators was as follows:

Geraldine Parkes, a long standing practitioner in Christchurch and Lyttelton who has taken classes since the 1980s gave a demonstration with her Shibashi 2 routine, and invited the audience to follow the gentle movements.

Gabrielle Euteneuer a Qigong and Tao Yoga teacher, established Tao Motion, 25 years ago after learning from Mantak Chia and Juan Li as well as spending 30 years of her life travelling in Europe, the USA, Thailand, Australia and India and became a Hatha Yoga teacher in England. Gabrielle was born in Germany but now resides in Oxford, New Zealand and performed her skills at the Festival.

Jingjing Jackson, a Tai Chi Instructor from South West China began her Kung Fu journey at age 11 and later trained under a Wu Dang mountain monk. Jingjing’s expertise includes a certified fitness instructor in the UK, a New Zealand certified body worker, a Yin Yoga Teacher trained under Paul Grilley’s philosophy, a 6^th generation Reiki practitioner and a Rongoa practitioner specialising in traditional Maori healing. She demonstrated a routine at this event that was indicative of her skill, being mesmerising flowing and seamless.

Audrey Tan Hayes began attending Tai Chi lessons from Master Dave Thew and has taken courses by Master Faye Yip, daughter of Grand Master Li Deyin since 2009. When Dave moved to Temuka in 2012 his students wanted to keep practising so Audrey assumed the mantle and the group has been practising ever since. Audrey’s group demonstrated the Daoyin Yang Sheng Gong 12 step Health routine at this event.

Tim Exton is the principal instructor of the Flowing Mountain Tai Chi and Qi Gong school in Geraldine, South Canterbury. After returning from London where he studied the Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu from Sifu Paul Witrod. When he returned to New Zealand Tim studied Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan from Dr Denis Walker and the late Malisa Ng of the Tai Chi Centre in Auckland. Tim and his students performed the Chen 4 and 13 step short form followed by Tim performing a Chen Fan Form.

Trevor Quirk is the current President of the NZ National Tai Chi Chuan Association. In 1986 he travelled to China to learn what he could about Tai Chi Chuan. In 1988 he met Hu Loo Chi and remained his dedicated student for 25 years until his passing in 2013. Over the years Trevor has practiced in 3 separate World Tai Chi Championships held in Taiwan, has seen and practiced many different forms of Tai Chi and practised with many push hands exponents of different styles from different countries. Since Master Hu died Trevor has continued to practise all of the pre-exercises and both sides of the long form on a daily basis. Trevor spoke to the audience about the philosophy behind Hu Loo Chi’s teachings.

Mike Penter first saw Tai Chi being performed in New Caledonia by a group of people at a Club Med village in 1990 while on vacation with his family. When he got back to New Zealand he sought out a teacher who could train him in these practices and eventually met Hu Loo Chi who had an impact on his life. 31 years later Mike is still practising Tai Chi and Qi Gong for health and wellbeing and has established numerous classes to spread the philosophy. At the Festival Mike led a demonstration of the ancient Ba Duan Jin (8 Section Qigong Exercises) for the audience to participate in.

Mike Penter
January 2025

Dave Thew is the first Tai Chi Master to be inducted into the New Zealand Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He was inducted at an event at the Russley Golf Club on Saturday 6^th November 2021.

Dave said it was definitely an honour to be selected, not only for himself, but for his lineage back to his late teacher Master Hu Loo Chi.

“It was awesome to be the first to represent tai chi, especially as it is one of the lesser known martial arts.”

The induction involved each recipient having to do a 30 minute seminar in the morning. Dave’s seminar involved demonstrations of his art, such as tai chi sword forms, sensitivity training, shunting and two partner exercises. He also performed to music.

“I think the karate people enjoyed the tai chi. They could see similarities but in a different way”.

Since beginning tai chi in 1983, Dave has gone from strength to strength. He has won two gold and four silver medals at the world Kung Fu championships. Nationally, he has won four gold and two silver, and sixteen gold medals at Australasian competitions.

He attempted a world record in 2019 for the longest time doing tai chi to raise money for the Cancer Society. His astonishing performance lasted 30 hours and 15 minutes.

Dave has performed martial arts since he was 10. “All that was around back then was judo or karate. Shortly after I started working, I had an accident and after that, judo was too hard for me. I looked around for a martial art that was kinder to the body. I found out about tai chi master classes in Christchurch and went from there.”

Dave is one of three tai chi teachers ( sifu ) in South Canterbury. He now hopes to train teachers to help bring classes to the Mackenzie District.

“We prefer to do classes in nature rather than in a dojo. Tai chi is all about energy, thinking about yourself as energy rather than as a physical being”.

He said his biggest gain from practising tai chi was losing the need for control.

“Most of our problems come from trying to control everything. From tai chi, I learned to accept that if you can control things, fine, but if you can’t, move on. I have lost a lot of faults through tai chi. I have lost the ability to get angry quickly, I don’t struggle. You look at life differently because it is all about balance”.

Mike Penter