Karate Queen, Melissa Dunn, balancing fresher life and the World Champs

Words by Rosie Leishman, Bachelor of Communications student

Making my first friend at University this year, I wouldn’t have guessed that I would find myself next to a national karate champion. A real-life Karate Queen taking on the world stage and balancing uni life one kick at a time. 

19 years old, a former head girl and a thriving Canterbury fresher, I chat with Melissa Dunn as she embarks on another adventure across the globe to represent New Zealand in Turkey for the Karate Junior World Championships.

You would think karate kicking the world’s best, alongside gaining a degree and keeping up with the social lives of her fellow freshers, would stress Melissa – but instead she is effortlessly humble and calm with an infectious smile. 

Melissa kick-started karate as a five year old and two years later began competing. With no other girls to fight against, Melissa dominated Boys divisions and at only aged 10, became National Champion and was selected to compete at the Commonwealth Champs in Canada where she brought home a bronze medal.

Since Canada, Melissa has represented our nation in Fiji, India, New Caledonia, Chile, and Birmingham– spanning three Commonwealth championships (where this year she was the highest medal winner) and four Oceania championships. She is currently competing in Turkey for her second Junior Worlds. 

Melissa describes the teamwork, travel, and satisfaction of competing against the world’s best karate kids internationally as her main motivation to train hard and remain National Champ. “I had no idea what the future would look like in karate as a 10 year old, I just took every tournament as they came.”

Before meeting Melissa, I knew nothing about karate, other than the iconic Karate Kid movies and white uniforms you’d see in your local community hall. Now, I have a new found appreciation for an incredibly demanding sport that is reliant on respect, strength and coordination to fight as well as to protect both yourself and your opponent.  

“I love how it uses the entire body, from your toes to how your head is positioned. The mental side too, the discipline, confidence, and mental strength I’ve gained from karate is unmatched.”

For context, karate is made up of two components - Kumite and Kata.  Melissa describes them both as “utterly empowering”. Kumite is what most people imagine when they think of karate– fast-paced and intense with opponents powerfully fighting while running the risk of making dangerous mistakes compared to other sports. Comparatively, Kata is a memorized performance sequence with explosive movements and strong stances. 

The most common question Melissa gets asked is whether she gets hurt and if getting hit scares her at all?  She reassures me karate is about control and she has grown fully comfortable with trusting her body and skills to protect and fight for her.

It seems ironic that one of my most spirited, bubbly and kind-hearted friends can have a badass alter ego with power to fight and beat anyone who crosses her.

It’s both strange and astonishing watching Melissa fight so fearlessly and ferociously, when I'm around her constant positivity. It’s also difficult to imagine the physical toll on her body. “It’s challenging pushing through soreness, but I keep in mind that pain is temporary, and the feeling of winning is unbeatable” 

The physical and mental intensity of karate and the lack of funding for the sport makes Melissa's talent, achievements and modesty even more admirable. Karate is an unrecognized sport in Aotearoa and completely self-funded and, because it is considered a ‘minor sport’, it is difficult to gain media attention. So, aside from being one of Aotearoa’s top Karate Queens, Melissa is studying to earn a degree which enables her to work and be able to afford the demanding costs of the sport. 

Balancing a ‘fresher lifestyle’, Melissa is frequently boogying into the early hours of the morning and working hard to achieve an impressively high GPA. Smiling as she says, “the dance floor is my favourite place to be, and I love getting involved with uni life”. 

As a witness to her on that dance floor, keeping up with the demands of karate with the early morning trainings and travel, doesn’t faze her and instead comes as a good break from university culture – “karate is my passion, it is part of my life, but not my whole life.”

Now a champion for half her life, Melissa’s love for the sport is only flourishing. She says, “as a kid there was no pressure, just fun, but now with age, my perspective has changed… it’s more serious. There are definitely pressuring times, but I love it and the things karate has taught me I would not have found anywhere else.”

Looking to the future, Melissa is keen to immerse herself even more internationally as well as wanting to continue contributing to maintaining Aotearoa’s relevance in the sport. 

I am pretty excited to spend another year with Melissa, with her humble heart and superpower for beating the world's most talented Karate Kids. 

And, as she approaches her first-year flatting in Otautahi, I feel confident that she won’t be escaping that dance floor anytime soon but will continue to win as she balances her uni life and being a national champ on the world stage in a sport you wouldn’t expect.