Airana Ngarewa is teaching self-defence classes to teach kids how to deal with bullying.

When teenagers in Airana Ngarewa's jiu jitsu class told him they were being bullied he wondered what he could do to help.

After researching bullying he discovered it was a big issue for teenagers, so decided to create a self-defence programme to countermeasure bullying.

Ngarewa, 21, is a jiu jitsu instructor and has been taking teen Brazilian jiu jitsu classes at J's Gym since the end of 2015.

He said when he learnt some of his students were being bullied he wanted to do something about it.

"A few of the kids came and spoke to me about having trouble with bullying.

"I went a little more into it, looking into the research around it in New Zealand."

Ngarewa discovered one in three children were aware of physical bullying at least once a week, with 47 per cent aware of verbal bullying.

"It's a massive issue.

"You don't see the same attention put to it in New Zealand as America, unless it's very, very physical."

He set about creating a programme, which he calls the 3T approach.

"Talk, tell and tackle.

"I talk to them about standing up for yourself, so if it's verbal what's the appropriate way to deal with that, so that's talk.

"If it continues to escalate tell a parent, tell your teacher, and if it continues to escalate and becomes physical, I also teach the skills to defend yourself physically as well."

Ngarewa said the moves he taught were not striking moves, but moves so the child could subdue the person attacking them.

"Ever since we started teaching it it seems the bullying stopped, at least for those few kids, which is great."

Class sizes were small but Ngarewa said he hoped they would grow.

The classes were for children aged 10-16.

For information email angarewa@gmail.com.