Sei Shihan Michael McIvor is the founder & branch chief of Seido Karate Te Awamutu & has been training for over 40 years. He started Karate while studying in Canterbury University in 1974 to get fit & learn self defense. It wasn't long until karate became part of his DNA. In 1979, he graded to Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt) in Christchurch under Hanshi Renzie Hanham and his last grading, to Sei Shihan (senior 6th Dan) in 2014. In 2021 Sei Shihan Michael McIvor was inducted into the New Zealand Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

He has trained several times under Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura (Grandmaster & Founder of Seido) in 'Honbu', the World Seido Karate Headquarters. He has a wealth of experience, training in England, Italy, Germany & in most Seido Dojos in New Zealand. He has competed in national & international tournaments & is responsible for training all teams the Te Awamutu Dojo sends to tournaments. The teams regularly compete with distinction in the North Island Tournaments.

Sei Shihan Michael is committed to producing black belts of a very high standard. He firmly believes black belts should not only have a high level of competence in martial arts, but also be well rounded individuals who are good role models in the community. For Sei Shihan, one of the biggest benefits of Seido Karate is the long standing friendships he has built up over the many years of training, both nationally and internationally.

Sei Shihan Michael states that none of his success in Seido would have been possible without the support of his wife Brenda. Sei Shihan Michael's two sons, Alex & Matt, are both Seido Black Belts, graded through the Te Awamutu dojo.