Mr Robert Gemmell, of Picton, MNZM, for services to martial arts and the community
Robert Gemmell founded Shaolin Kempo New Zealand in 1968 and remains the Senior Grandmaster. He co-founded the Union of New Zealand Karate-do Organisation and is a Professor and Senior Master at the International Kempo Karate Association. He is a Governor of the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He has delivered women’s and nurses’ self-defence courses, corporate stress management courses, and training for ambulance and police officers. He developed the Five Step Programme for the ACC’s Falls Prevention Programme, which has aided more than 30,000 seniors. Mr Gemmell has developed and written training programmes and manuals, books, and other publications, and published New Zealand’s first martial arts magazine.