Sensei Rajesh Ravji

Rajesh began training in 1979 at Sensei John Jarvis’s Newtown dojo, and three years later graded to Junior Shodan. In 1986 he began competing in a number of karate tournaments, and went on to represent New Zealand several times in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Highlights of his tournament career include coming 5th out of 66 competitors at the 1989 Goju Ryu World Championships, and winning gold and silver at the Goju Ryu Asia Pacific Championships in 1996 and 1997 respectively.

Rajesh graded to Nidan in 1988 , Sandan in 1991, Yondan in 1995 and achieved his current grade of Godan in 2005. After becoming Head Instructor of the Wellington dojo in 1999, he oversaw the relocation to its current premises at Massey University in 2002. In 2006 he was appointed to the Kambukai (Goju Ryu New Zealand Technical Committee), and is also the marketing manager for IOGKFNZ. Rajesh identifies training with a number of the world’s top instructors as a key highlight of his ongoing study of Goju Ryu karate-do.