JYOSHINMON SHORIN-RYU

Great effort from our two competitors, Nimrat Dhillon and Zeddrick Hurrell, at the 2026 Karate New Zealand Open, held at the Auckland Netball Centre and organised by Karate New Zealand. This year’s tournament showcased an exceptionally high standard, with strong international teams from New Caledonia, Tahiti, and Australia raising the level of competition.

For the first time, both Nimrat and Zeddrick were unlucky in missing out on medal placings. Despite this, they represented Jyoshinmon with determination, resilience, and true fighting spirit, standing proudly against a very competitive field.
Their performance reflects the strength of their training and the character they bring to the dojo.

The 2-day event was attended by three World Karate Federation (WKF) Champions, who lead the 2-day National Training Camp prior to the tournament:

Antonio Diaz
Two-time World Kata Champion

Ayumi Uekusa
World Champion Kumite +68KG

Kiyou Shimizu
Two-time World Kata Champion and Silver Olympic Medallist

Sensei Chris Bennett was the Support Administrator for Sportdata, which is the official tournament draw and scoring system.

Thank you to our volunteers for Table Staff and Marshalls:
Sensei Jojina Bennett
Annika and Avika Singh
Prisha Parikh

[Photo: Nirmat Dhillon]