Acupuncture Sanctuary

About Us

Hi, I’m Ada. (sounds like Black-Adder)

I started studying Chinese medicine straight out of high school — I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in London, UK, and at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, and decided this was lifelong learning I was embarking on.

When I started working with people in the wild, I saw when you meet the body, mind, and spirit together — as one whole experience, so much can shift, and none of it is seperate.

I love working, I show up with all I can muster, and am constanly humbled by people and their stories.
This drives me to keep learning, refining, building resources and reaching for whatever will help you — whether that’s acupuncture, herbal medicine, Tuina, massage, essential oils, NLP, or functional medicine.

I’ve built a big toolbox, and I tailor what I use to what you need in the moment.
I work with what I see. I listen for what’s unspoken. I ask you questions.

I’m mindful that we live within a Western medical culture, so I’ve learned to read lab results and understand the language of pathology — and I’m happy to explain things in a clear, down-to-earth way. I’m also versed in functional and nutritional medicine, with an understanding of how to use supplements clinically and appropriately.

But Chinese medicine offers something else: a way of seeing the world that is elegant, pattern-based, and rooted in cause and effect.
It’s not about fighting the body — it’s about listening to it.

Sometimes the work is physical. Sometimes it’s emotional.
Sometimes I speak directly to your unconscious — through language or through needles.

I use NLP and gentle conversational hypnosis when it fits, as an invitation for change.
There’s no one-size-fits-all. I follow your story. I look for the root. I work with your lifestyle, environment, history, diet and intended outcome — wherever you’re ready to go.

I love the simplicity at the heart of Chinese medicine:
Noticing where things got blocked, and finding a way to your congruency — to being more free in the world.

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About Me

I was born in Poland and moved to Melbourne when I was two. I returned to Europe as a teenager, and after finishing university in London, I was fortunate to complete a six-month internship at the Beijing Massage Hospital. When I was massaging, I felt completely in the present moment — focused and in flow, like I could keep working this craft all day long. This became my trade — the foundation of my skill set.

I came straight to Auckland to put those skills into practice. Here in Aotearoa, part of the great Pacific, I’ve found the spaciousness to deepen my work. The light here has helped me see the medicine more clearly as an energetic and spirit-rooted practice. I now work not only hands-on but also through light work and remote healing. I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity.

I acknowledge with deep respect the tangata whenua of Ngāti Tamaoho, Te Ākitai Waiohua, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Te Kawerau ā Maki, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Maru, and Waikato-Tainui, on whose land the clinic is located — and I give thanks to the Waitākere Ranges for looking after us.

I bow deeply to my teachers and mentors — especially those within Taoist lineages who have carried and passed down the medicine for over 88 generations. It’s a privilege to walk this path and receive even a small part of that transmission.

I love living in West Auckland with my partner, our three children, and our dog, Te Pō Marino.

Professional Affiliations and Memberships:

Education:
  • BSc (Hons) Traditional Chinese Medicine
    • September 1998 – May 2004
    • Middlesex University, London, UK
  • Bachelor of Medicine (5th Year Placement)
    • February 2004 – June 2004
    • Beijing University for Pharmacology and Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
  • Internship Certificate in Tuina
    • September 2006 – March 2007
    • Beijing Massage Hospital, Beijing, China
  • Neuromuscular Therapy Certificate
    • Part of a Diploma of Therapeutic Massage
    • Wellpark College of Natural Therapies, Grey Lynn
    • 2008
  • Meditations of the Classical Energetic Channels Certificate
    • Instructor Ann Cecil-Sterman
    • 2024
  • The Complement Channels of Classical Acupuncture Certificate
    • Instructor Ann Cecil-Sterman
    • 2024
  • NLP Practitioner Certificate
    • The Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming in association with Amy Bell
    • Melbourne, Australia 2025
  • Erickson Conversational Hypnosis Certificate
    • NLP Trainer Amy Bell
    • Melbourne, Australia 2025

Speaking Engagements:
  • I love sharing with my community. I’ve been a keynote speaker at the annual Acupuncture New Zealand conferences three times, and I’m the first acupuncturist in New Zealand to have completed training in the complete system of classical acupuncture using all five classes of channels. I’m so passionate about this that I’ve been running study groups and doing online teaching since 2021, helping fellow acupuncturists apply these principles in practice. I also taught acupressure at Wellpark College of Natural Therapies from 2009, bringing my hands-on experience to the classroom, following my 6 month internship at the Beijing Massage Hospital.

Languages:
  • English Fluent, French Proficient, Polish Proficient, Mandarin Basic.

Continuing Education:

2025

  • NLP Practitioner Training (22-day immersive, 180+ hours) with Amy Bell – Melbourne, Australia – certifications in NLP Practitioner, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Embodied Leadership Level 1, and Life Coaching
  • Herbal Energetics with Sean Tuten

2024

  • The Mentorship Program: A Six Month Complete Classical Acupuncture Intensive Training with Ann Cecil-Sterman
  • Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) Optimising Immune Function
  • AcNZ Conference 2024: “Yi 易” – Keynote Speaker: An Introduction to the Divergent Channels 粗之所易，上之所难

2023

  • Classical Acupuncture Mentorship with Sean Tuten
  • Advanced Clinical Practicum: Melbourne with Sean Tuten
  • Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) Women’s Health
  • AcNZ Conference 2023: “Connection and Community” – Keynote Speaker: The Channels of Connection – The Sinew Channels 筋經
  • The Extraordinary Channels: Melbourne Seminar with Ann Cecil-Sterman
  • Pulse Diagnosis: Melbourne Seminar with Ann Cecil-Sterman

2022

  • Classical Acupuncture Mentorship with Sean Tuten
  • Advanced Clinical Skills Melbourne with Sean Tuten
  • The Divergent Channels: Melbourne Seminar with Ann Cecil-Sterman
  • AcNZ Conference 2022: “Tradition and Modernity” – Keynote Speaker: Simple Emotional Luo Treatment
  • Tongue Diagnosis Online Course with Ann Cecil-Sterman
  • Cooking like an Herbalist with Andrew Sterman
  • Stone Medicine: Integrating Stones into Acupuncture Treatments with Jeffrey Yuen
  • Daoist Wellness & Sexology with Jeffrey Yuen
  • Spirit of the Plants with Jeffrey Yuen
  • Long Term Covid Treatments and Classical Chinese Medicine with Jeffrey Yuen
  • AnnChat Live fortnightly Q&A with Ann Cecil-Sterman and Cody Dodo

2021

  • Classical Acupuncture Mentorship with Sean Tuten
  • Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) Gastrointestinal Health
  • Abundant Business Coaching with Kirsten Wolfe
  • Diagnosis to Diet: Designing Meals For Common Ailments and Daily Health Maintenance with Andrew Sterman
  • Seated QiGong with Andrew Sterman
  • Kids and Food with Ann Cecil-Sterman and Andrew Sterman
  • Herbs as Insight Elixir with Andrew Sterman
  • The Essence of Healing with Food with Andrew Sterman
  • AnnChat Live fortnightly Q&A with Ann Cecil-Sterman and Cody Dodo

2020

  • ACNEM: Foundations of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine with Various Speakers
  • Good Fellow: Assessment for mental capacity with Various Speakers
  • Food and Healing: A Deep Introduction Into How Foods Work in Eight Sessions with Andrew Sterman
  • Mentoring and Case Discussion group with Clare Pyers
  • AnnChat Live fortnightly Q&A with Ann Cecil-Sterman and Cody Dodo

2019

  • Purple Cloud Institute & Water Course Way: Mugwort and Moxibustion Practical Workshop with Johan Hausen
  • NZASA: Ethics and Professional Standards with Various Speakers
  • China Books Sydney: Extraordinary Vessels Constitution and Destiny with Sean Tuten
  • China Books Melbourne: Luo Vessels Blood and Spirit with Sean Tuten
  • NZCMAS: Safe Practice – Accident management in Acupuncture practice with Various Speakers
  • Fertile Life Method™ workshop Auckland with Kirsten Wolfe
  • Back Pain: Orthopedic Acupuncture Series with Andrew Nugent-Head
  • AnnChat Live fortnightly Q&A with Ann Cecil-Sterman and Cody Dodo

2018

  • NZASA Ethics and Professional Standards with Various Speakers
  • Fertile Life Method™ workshop Melbourne with Kirsten Wolfe
  • AACMA Sydney Australia: Daoist Zang-Fu Acupressure with Andrew Nugent-Head
  • AACMA Sydney Australia: A Practical and Clinical Use of Herbs with JulieAnn Nugent-Head
  • NZICM Source of Laws and Rules of Healthcare Advertising in NZ with Various Speakers
  • NZICM Shen and the Ten Emotions David Hartman

2017

  • China Books, Melbourne: Treating Sinews: Secrets of the Tendinomuscular Channels with Ann Cecil-Sterman
  • NZICM Integrative TCM Pathology with Clare Pyers
  • Pathology Testing for TCM Practitioners Webinar with Clare Pyers
  • Employing Staff in a TCM clinic with Clare Pyers
  • SunTen How to Use Granules Effectively with Various Speakers
  • Treating thyroid conditions with an Integrative TCM approach with Clare Pyers

2016

  • Association for Traditional Studies: Preface to the Shang Han Lun, The Eight Functions of Qi, The State of Chinese Medicine in China with Andrew Nugent-Head
  • NZIA: Male Infertility, Elderly Care and Women’s Health