Kawera club engages in the Japanese non-contact kata form

When the spirit is willing but the body is yelling out for respite, people tend to look for a sporting fix elsewhere.
Dean Pera, of Twyford, has found his release from the everyday stresses of life.
The Kawera Martial Arts Independent Club member engages in the Japanese non-contact kata form of displaying movements.
"At 47 your work is really important, so being injured is not an option because you have a family to feed," the coolstore supervisor from RJ Flowers tells SportToday.
His success not only impresses his colleagues at work but was crucial in luring his entire family to the club's Twyford School-based gym.
Wife Catherine Taku-Pera and their children, Dakota Taku, 13, Ngaire-Anne Taku-Pera, 9, and Tina-Maree Taku-Pera, 7, have swelled the numbers to 43 at the club which Sensei Sue and Wi Akurangi started 16 years ago.
Bar Tina-Maree, all the other members of his family have national titles.
"Tina-Maree hasn't matured enough, but she may have one when she grows older," he says, adding his wife joined up only two months after watching him after finding the non-contact element appealing.
It was infectious because Pera took Dakota and Ngaire-Anne to it first for a bit of self discipline.
"They had two free trainings and I watched the kids then a fortnight later I joined up myself."
Pera is the second oldest member of the club, with Wallace Kemp taking that honour from him by a few months. "I've never looked back. It's great to be a part of a team that's like an extended family," says Pera, who has won 18 titles to date.
He returned with a gold, silver and bronze medals at the Davies Kyokushin-Kai All Styles Open Martial Arts Tournament on September 17.
It's the 11th year the Kawera club has competed in the two-day tourney, with five referees presiding for each bout, that included full-contact matches too.
A contingent from Australia was among those from Hastings, Hawera, and Christchurch.
Pera first heard of the Kawera club from a friend, Edwin Edwards, four years ago.
His two Peterhead School daughters and son from Flaxmere College find the ancient Oriental art instils discipline helps sharpen their mental fortitude and has made a considerable difference to their education.
They don their gi (uniform) to train two hours a day, six days a week.
For someone who played mostly rugby at Taihape College as a youngster, Pera believes it helped him to embrace the Kawera club's offerings because he had had a flirtation with Zen do kai (another form of Japanese martial arts) in his school days.
However, Dakota's passion for the sport has extended to competing in the full-contact arena.
It doesn't bother Pera but he prefers his children to reflect the self-discipline the art teaches.
"In Dakota's first year at college some of them picked on him, so he defended himself."
How far Dakota goes remains to be seen but Pera is always by his side, akin to the cornerman at the ringside in boxing.
No doubt, the club is indebted to Sensei Akeshia Akurangi-Kaiwai.