Sean started his formal training in Hapkido in 2009.
Sean is responsible for helping to run the Academy's Hapkido classes. Sean is also an experienced international competitor and is reponsible for preparing our students for demonstrations, local and international competitions.
Rhiannon Forbes, 2nd Dan Hapkido
Academy Manager, Class Instructor
Rhiannon started her formal training in Hapkido in 2005 as our first junior student. She later developed the syllabus for our Hapkido Dragons and Hapkido Tigers classes.
Rhiannon was graded to 1st Dan Black Belt in 2015 by Master Malcolm Wright, 5th Dan who founded the Manawatu Hapkido Club. She also attended the
World Kido Federation/Hanminjok Hapkido Association's 2015 and 2019 Hapkido World Championships in South Korea, taking part in the New Zealand Team Demonstration at both events. At the 11th Hapkido World Championships in 2019 she won a medal in the Weapons Hyung (Pattern) competition,
Rhiannon is the Class Instructor responsible for running our Hapkido Dragons and Hapkido Tigers Classes and she also assists with the Hapkido classes. She is also the Academy Manager/Secretary, being responsible for the day to day tasks required to run the Academy smoothly. She is also a C1 "Assistant Instructor" with the New Zealand Ju-Jitsu Federation.
She is also available to teach private Hapkido and Self Defence lessons during weekdays for women and children. You can book a class with her
HERE.
Jaime Philips, 1st Dan Hapkido 
Class Instructor
Jaime started training in Hapkido in 2019 after being here originally as a "Hapkido Mum" watching her son train in the Hapkido Tigers class.
Since starting her Hapkido journey, Jaime has dedicated herself to our Academy. She has been invaluable during the Covid period where her thoroughness and attention to detail has allowed us to exceed all of the hygiene and practice standards under the various Covid settings.
Jaime is now the lead instructor for Hapkido Dragons and also assists in the Hapkido Tigers classes. Her forte is with new students. She is also a C2 "Club Instructor" with the New Zealand Ju-Jitsu Federation.
Jaime trains 3 or 4 times a week in our Hapkido classes as well as taking private lessons. She also competed in the 2021 NPTHC Tournament where she won medals in the armed and unarmed Hyung (patterns) category.
Daryl Conchie, 4th Dan Hapkido
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Class Instructor
Daryl started his formal training in Hapkido in 1986 under Grand Master Lee Jung Nam.
Daryl is responsible for helping to run the Academy's Hapkido classes and assisting in the Hapkido Tigers classes. Daryl is also our kicking specialist and is responsible for coaching our students in both stretching technqiues and Hapkido kicking techniques. Daryl is Sean is also a C1 "Assistant Instructor" with the New Zealand Ju-Jitsu Federation.
Daryl obtained his New Zealand Hapkido Federation 1st Degree Dan Black Belt in 1988. He travelled to Korea as part of the 2019 New Zealand Hapkido Team and coached our team members as well as receiving advanced Hapkido training from GM In Sun Seo and other senior Hapkido Masters.
He graded to 4th Dan Black Belt in June 2022.
Jon-Luke Harvey, 2nd Dan Hapkido
Class Instructor
Jon-Luke commenced his Hapkido training in 2013 and obtained his 1st Dan Black Belt in 2017.
In 2020 he obtained his 2nd Dan Black Belt.
Jon-Luke assists in running our Hapkido classes. He and his brother Sean are also responsible for running our Wednesday night Hapkido classes.
He has also competed successfully in a number of tournaments in recent years, including the 11th Hapkido Word Championships in South Korea in 2019 where he won medals in both Sparring and Self-Defence.
Paul Atkins, 1st Dan Hapkido
Class Instructor
Paul started his Hapkido training in May 2016 and obtained his 1st Dan Black Belt in June 2019 through training 4 to 5 times a week.
Paul runs our popular Tuesday night Hapkido class. His easy and relaxed manner makes his class especially popular with both new adult students and teenage students.
Paul is Sean is also C2 "Club Instructor" with the New Zealand Ju-Jitsu Federation.
Colin McKinstry 
Class Instructor - Weapons and MMA / Tournament Sparring
Colin has been a student and teacher of the European martial arts for well over 25 years. He started his martial arts career in Judo as a child before developing an interest in traditional European armed and unarmed combat.
He has studied various systems of European Martial Arts extensively, including 19th century bare knuckle boxing, German wresting and various styles of swordmanship. Because most European arts are 'dead' arts (that is have no living lineage), Colin has extensively studied old manuscripts in order to try to recreate these arts and has developed a very deep understanding of the underlying principles of the martial arts which are common to both Eastern and Western Martial Arts.
Colin's expertise in this area has been of great value in helping understand and refine our core Hapkido techniques. He also teaches our weekly Saturday sword class in association with Mike O'Hara and Callum Forbes.
There is no rank or grading structure in European Martial Arts but in any grading system, Colin would be an equivalent of a Master. In 2021 he was inducted into the New Zealand Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Mike O'Hara, 6th Dan New Zealand Freestyle Karate
Class Instructor - Sparring and Weapons
Shihan Mike started cross training at our Academy in 2012 and runs workshops in full contact sparring at the Academy, runs our Tuesday sword classes, is a co-instructor in our Saturday morning sword classes and assists in our Hapkido when his work schedule allows!
Shihan Mike has been a student and teacher of the Eastern martial arts for over 40 years. He started his career in Judo as a junior before switching to Zen Do Kai Karate, completing his 2nd degree black belt in 1988. In 1990 Mike joined his instructor (Shihan Jeff Veale) in the creation of New Zealand Freestyle Martial Arts.
Shihan Mike has been an instructor in NZFMA ever since and in early 2016 he completed his 5th Dan Black Belt grading which is the highest Dan grade awarded by New Zealand Freestyle Martial Arts. A 5th Dan Black Belt in this style is the equivalent of a 7th or 8th Dan Black Belt in most other martial art styles.
Shihan Mike has also studied a number of other arts, gaining formal qualifications in Tae Kwon Do in the USA (1st degree black belt) and in Goju-Ryu Karate (brown belt). He has also studied a number of weapon arts over the years and has proficiency in jo, katana and escrima.