International Taekwon-Do

What International Taekwon-Do does

International Taekwon-Do (ITKD) is a New Zealand-based non-profit Incorporated Society that organises ITF Taekwon-Do training, schools, events, and tournaments for its members. The organisation traces its origin to the first New Zealand Taekwon-Do club established in Palmerston North in 1970 by Mr Norman Ng, and was formally incorporated as the International Taekwon-Do Foundation of New Zealand on 28 March 1981 at Wellington. It operates as the original ITF Taekwon-Do organisation in New Zealand, affiliated to the International Taekwon-Do Federation, and is recognised as a National Sporting Organisation by Sport New Zealand. ITKD serves approximately 3,000 active members across roughly 65 affiliated schools organised into six regions, with training delivered by internationally certified black belt instructors (minimum 4th dan). Specialised programmes extend the addressable age range downward, including Mini-Kids for 4–8 year olds and the TKD Kubz pre-school programme for 3–5 year olds, licensed exclusively in New Zealand from Master Mark Hutton of Scotland since 2014. The organisation has undergone several structural changes, including a 2008 governance reform (Board of Directors + CEO model), the 2001 merger with the New Zealand Taekwon-Do Academy, and the promotion of its first Grand Masters (9th dan) in late 2021.

The organisation's core technology stack is the JustGo membership management platform, used for member registrations, event bookings, grading applications, and online payments, supplemented by a custom in-house database for event, grading, and tournament administration. Members access a proprietary training and grading syllabus delivered through handbooks, a digital magazine ("Taekwon-Do Talk"), an essay library, Korean terminology audio files, and a YouTube video library. The Taekwon-Do sparring component has been registered as an NZQA Level 3 NCEA Achievement Standard since 2012, allowing secondary school students to earn education credits through their training. Marketing and member engagement operate through the website (~25,000 monthly visitors, ~12,000 homepage visits), Facebook (public page plus private member group), YouTube, an eTalk email newsletter, and event-driven channels including tournaments, camps, seminars, and gradings.

ITKD's revenue model is diversified across six streams: (i) annual non-refundable membership subscriptions (12-month term), (ii) grading assessment fees, (iii) event registration fees, (iv) club affiliation fees from the ~65 affiliated schools, (v) advertising and sponsorship ($50/month homepage rate, $50 per event listing), and (vi) government grants from Sport New Zealand and High Performance New Zealand for athlete development. The go-to-market motion is community-led and instructor-driven: new clubs are started by certified black belt holders, and member acquisition flows primarily through word-of-mouth referrals at the local club level. Member portability across the 65-school network (free cross-club training) reinforces retention. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; members register through the JustGo system.

Name

International Taekwon-Do

Legal name

International Taekwon-Do Foundation of New Zealand Incorporated

Website

https://itkd.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Taekwon-Do is a New Zealand non-profit Incorporated Society that organises ITF Taekwon-Do training across approximately 65 affiliated schools, serving about 3,000 active members through certified black belt instructors and specialised programmes for all ages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Martial Arts Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Martial Arts Schools (Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, etc.) (HSADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids & Youth Martial Arts Programs (HSADADAG), Competition & Tournament Team Training (HSADADAJ)

Keywords

• Martial arts training
• Taekwon-do instruction
• Belt grading services
• Martial arts tournaments
• Sports organisation membership

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Fees: All members pay an annual registration fee which is the primary funding source for the organization along with grading fees and grants.
2. Grading Fees: Fees collected for belt grading assessments conducted by certified examiners.
3. Event Registration Fees: Fees for tournaments, camps, seminars, and other events organized throughout the year.
4. Government Grants: Funding received from Sport New Zealand and High Performance New Zealand for athlete development and organizational operations.
5. Advertising and Sponsorship: Revenue from website advertisers, event sponsors, and tournament stand rentals. Homepage advertising at $50/month casual rate.
6. Club Affiliation: Schools affiliated to the organization pay fees and gain access to the ITKD brand, training resources, and organizational support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

International Taekwon-Do organises and delivers Taekwon-Do martial arts training, examinations, and competition pathways for members across New Zealand. Its core service is standardised instruction following a proprietary ITF-aligned syllabus, delivered through approximately 65 affiliated schools/clubs led by certified black belt instructors, accompanied by belt grading assessments, tournaments, camps, seminars, and instructor certification programmes. Specialised programmes include Mini-Kids (4-8 years) and the exclusively licensed TKD Kubz programme (3-5 years).

Product overview

International Taekwon-Do is a martial arts organization offering Taekwon-Do training programs for all ages and abilities in New Zealand. The organization provides a comprehensive membership system through the JustGo platform, along with various programs including Mini-Kids for young children and TKD Kubz for pre-schoolers. Additional offerings include tournament participation, gradings, instructor training, and access to training facilities across approximately 65 schools nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TKD Kubz: Pre-school Taekwon-Do programme for children aged 3-5 years, developed by Master Mark Hutton from Scotland and integrated in 2014.
• Mini-Kids Programme

Products and services

• Annual Membership Standard annual membership subscription for individual members of all ages, providing access to training at any of approximately 65 affiliated schools nationwide, participation in events, and member-only resources.
• Taekwon-Do Training (Standard Syllabus) Structured martial arts instruction following the proprietary ITKD training and grading syllabus, delivered by certified black belt instructors at affiliated clubs. Covers patterns, sparring, breaking, and self-defense for members of all ages and abilities.
• Mini-Kids Programme Age-appropriate Taekwon-Do syllabus designed for children aged 4-8, freely available to instructors, emphasising physical activity, discipline, confidence-building, and positive behaviour reinforcement.
• TKD Kubz Programme Pre-school martial arts programme licensed exclusively in New Zealand by ITKD from Master Mark Hutton (Scotland), targeted at children aged 3-5. Delivered through affiliated clubs.
• Belt Grading Assessments Formal belt promotion examinations conducted by certified examiners following the ITKD syllabus, available to members at scheduled grading rounds across regions.
• Tournaments and Competitions Annual national tournaments plus regional, inter-club, and international ITF events including the Star Series and ITF World Cup, offering patterns, sparring, and breaking competition pathways.
• Camps and Seminars Multi-day training camps and seminars including the annual Veterans Camp and Kubz instructor courses, plus national and regional training intensives.
• Instructor Certification Courses Formal instructor training and certification programmes, including International Instructors Courses, umpires courses, and online catch-up courses, qualifying black belts to teach at affiliated clubs.
• Event Listing Service Website event listing service at $50 per event for private Taekwon-Do events, including online registration, payment processing, and homepage promotion.
• Homepage Advertising Monthly homepage advertising slot at $50 per month casual rate, reaching approximately 12,000 monthly homepage visits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won Best Country at 2011 ITF World Championships (Wellington)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• JustGocoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021ITKD has contracted JustGo to use its membership system software for member registrations, event registration, grading applications, and online payments.
• Master Mark Hutton (Scotland)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Master Mark Hutton from Scotland developed the TKD Kubz programme for 3-5 year olds. ITKD is sole New Zealand licensee. He has conducted multiple seminars in NZ since 2013, including Kubz instructor courses.
• New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)minorOthers · 1 January 2012ITKD Taekwon-Do Sparring component was made available as a Level 3 NCEA Achievement Standard, allowing secondary school students to earn credits through their sporting achievements with the organization.
• Wellington City CouncilstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Wellington City Council provided support that enabled hosting of the 2011 ITF World Championships in Wellington, New Zealand.
• Sport New Zealand (previously SPARC)coreOthers · 1 January 2003ITKD achieved government recognition from Sport New Zealand as a National Sporting Organisation. This recognition enabled access to government grants and funding for athlete development programmes.
• International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1981ITF is the international governing body for Taekwon-Do under the system founded by General Choi Hong Hi. ITKD is affiliated to ITF and receives technical authority for gradings, instructor certification, and competition standards. ITF Technical Committee (Grand Masters) conducts International Instructors Courses that ITKD hosts.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Taekwondo Association (ATA): One of the largest Taekwondo organizations in the United States with a similar affiliated-school membership model and structured grading/competition pathway. ATA's large membership-base, franchise-style school network, and youth programmes operate under the same core model as ITKD scaled.
• Taekwondo New Zealand: The national body for World Taekwondo (WT)-style Olympic Taekwondo in New Zealand. Direct competitor for New Zealand Taekwon-Do membership, competition pathway, and Sport NZ recognition, serving the same market with the same core activity but under a different international federation.

Broad incumbents

• USA Taekwondo: National governing body for Olympic Taekwondo in the US, recognized by the US Olympic Committee. Operates at much larger scale than ITKD but shares the same model of nationally-affiliated clubs, sport recognition, competition pathways, and instructor certification for a Taekwondo federation.
• Tiger Schulmann's Martial Arts: A US-based commercial martial arts chain offering mixed taekwondo/kickboxing programmes with a multi-dojo membership model. Shares ITKD's kids/youth programme focus and recurring membership revenue model, but operates as a for-profit franchise rather than a non-profit federation.
• British Taekwondo: The national governing body for World Taekwondo (WT) Olympic-style Taekwondo in the UK. Operates a comparable national federation model with affiliated clubs, member services, and a sport-recognition/grant-eligible structure similar to ITKD's setup with Sport NZ.

Others

• International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF): The international governing body that ITKD is affiliated to. ITF provides technical authority, grading standards, and competition framework — comparable as the parent body in the same ITF lineage, but not a competitor since ITKD is a member organization under ITF.
• ITFNZ Historical Branches (Pacific Sun, Rhee Taekwon-Do): Historical competitors that merged into ITKD: NZ Taekwon-Do Academy (2001), Pacific Sun instructors (2002), and Rhee Taekwon-Do clubs (2003, adding 5 clubs and 300 members). These illustrate ITKD's prior consolidation play and serve as contextual peers showing the federation-building track record.

Emerging players

• Karate New Zealand: The national governing body for karate in New Zealand — adjacent martial arts organization competing for the same youth and adult members in NZ. Comparable as a Sport NZ-recognized National Sporting Organisation delivering structured martial arts instruction and competition.
• Judo New Zealand: National federation for judo in New Zealand, also recognized by Sport NZ. Competes with ITKD for the same youth athletes and family members entering martial arts in NZ, with similar club-network and competition models across the country.

Regional players

• Taekwondo Australia: The national WT-affiliated federation for Taekwondo in Australia — comparable regional peer serving the broader Australasian Taekwondo market. Has a similar affiliated-school membership and competition framework to ITKD, operating in a neighboring country.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ITFNZTaekwonDo
• Facebookfacebook.com/internationaltkd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-taekwon-do-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Taekwon-Do