The pair met when Love travelled to Australia from England in 2015 to share research in the art. He returned again on October 3 to share more knowledge with Wellington’s “hidden treasure”. 

"I've had a 45 year history of training, been to many clubs, and you see a lack of depth, lack of quality, so to reach out and find that one individual is like finding a needle in a haystack, and you have one here in Wellington,” he said. 

“By teaming up with Ron and the Masters to share this information it is keeping the art alive.”

The duo spent 10 days training, sharing knowledge, liaising with Masters from China and visiting some of Wellington’s tourist attractions.

The pair share a mutual concern for the art in today’s society, Love saying the industry is often watered down or commercialised.

Goninan said learning the traditional ethics to pass onto future generations is a great sense of duty they owe to the Masters.

“This art is important,” he said. “It's a shared sense that we have to take this art to the world, otherwise the art will die.

“To me that's the most important part - the concept is the art is the focal point and that's what we're trying to do, to put principle before personalities and drive the art forward.”

He said it’s not just a passion, rather that it is a way of life.

“For some people it’s a hobby, we live and breath it,” Goninan said. 

“Not only do you apply the physical lessons and the benefits you get from that, you get the lessons you learn as a person –  to better yourself, be more respectful, honest, more committed to an idea.

“The martial arts ethics mean to promote yourself as a good person, not to take on bad people into the art, but to promote it to those who genuinely want that growth in spirit.”

Love thanked Goninan for the opportunity.

“Ron and his family have given a lot of time and effort into taking me around to different places,” he said.