Guardian Girls Karate is a global initiative launched in 2022 by the World Karate Federation (WKF), the Koyamada International Foundation (KIF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide women and girls with practical tools to better respond to situations of Gender-Based Violence through Karate training.

Our Mission - To empower girls and women to better face Gender-Based Violence situations through Karate training, reinforcing Karate’s contribution to society and positive impact beyond the tatami.

To continue with the expansion of this initiative worldwide through WKF's 201 affiliated National Federations.

The programme combines Karate techniques with confidence-building, grounded in the core values of Karate, such as respect and perseverance. The training sessions aim to emphasise the importance of confidence and situational awareness, and to provide basic Karate techniques that can be employed in real-life scenarios.

Karate NZ became part of the Guardian Girls Initiative in July 2025, after Rebecca Dobson completed the first-ever Oceania Guardian Girls in Adelaide - July 2025, becoming Karate NZ's first WKF-certified Guardian Girls Instructor.

Rebecca Dobson

WKF Guardian Girls certified instructor

Tracy Goddard

Tracy holds a 5th Dan in Shotokan Karate, is a certified SKIF NZ instructor, General Secretary & Senior instructor of SKIF NZ, and has 32 years of experience, affiliated with SKIF Japan & Karate NZ.

NZ Guardian Girls Karate Certified instructor. Passionate about building confidence & safety in the community by teaching self empowerment, agency and self-determination via traditional Karate-do and practical self defence. 

Shelley Henderson

NZ Guardian Girls Karate Certified instructor

Ella Hansen

NZ Guardian Girls Karate Certified instructor