Nate Wafstet

Training and Experience
Nate has completed 6 years of intensive training and holds a four year degree of Bachelors Health Sciences (BHSC) in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and holds a 2 year, level 7 diploma (associates degree) in Tuina (Chinese Medical Massage).

These degrees are similar to doing a double degree, as you have to learn both the traditional Chinese medical aspect, alongside the western medical aspects; such as, anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, medical red flags, pharmacology, and knowing how to research, and when to refer.

This helps Nate understand the importance of knowing both traditional Chinese medicine and the biomedical aspect, and how it relates to Western medical science.

Nate’s experience includes

Acupuncturist at Hutt Hospital Maternity Acupuncture Clinic
Acupuncturist at a community outreach program at Arohata women’s prison
Acupuncture and Tuina practitioner at Bendy Buddha
Acupuncture and Tuina Practitioner at Achilles clinic
Teaching Assistant at the New Zealand school of Acupuncture and TCM
Guests Lecturer at the New Zealand school of Acupuncture and TCM

Nate is registered with Acupuncture New Zealand (AcNZ), formally known as the New Zealand Registered Acupuncture (NZRA), this enables him to be an Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) treatment provider. Additionally, Nate has spent the last several years building his practical experience before starting Acute Acupuncture where he is the lead practitioner as well as the Director of Acute Acupuncture and the Director of Acute Health.

History and background
Nate comes from a university town up in the Rocky Mountains of Missoula Montana. Missoula is the only city in the entire Rocky Mountains that’s completely surrounded by mountains. Missoula Montana became famous to geologists when Missoula was discovered as a glacier lake and the striations of the water levels are still visible on the sides of the surrounding mountains as a reminder of this once prehistoric lake from the previous ice age.

Missoula Montana and New Zealand also have been closely linked together since 1982 when Palmerston North and Missoula became sister cities. This started a partnership from academic staff exchanges between Massey University in Palmerston North and the University of Montana in Missoula Montana. However Nate’s Journey to New Zealand didn't start until 2004.

When Nate was a young man he attended a boarding school where he learned engineering and welding in Anaconda Montana. While Nate was a student in the summertime he would also fight wilderness forest fires in Montana and surrounding states. Because Nate loved the lifestyle he had no problem being helicoptered into various remote locations and the hard work of digging fire lines with a Pulaski and roughing it. When Nate graduated from school he joined the United States military where he was stationed at Fort Benning Georgia, Fort Wainwright Alaska, and Fort Lewis Washington.

After spending five years of active duty Nate decided that a change of pace was due and moved to Wellington, New Zealand, whereby Nate took up engineering again. Nate continued with engineering for several years before getting his residency but knew he eventually wanted to join the ranks of his family in the medical profession and do a medical degree.

After doing his research and tossing up different ideas between becoming a nurse,an emergency medical technician (paramedic), or perhaps even becoming a doctor from Otago University, Nate decided on becoming an acupuncturist, as Acupuncture is a prominent method in assisting veterans in America.

Nate is passionate about using acupuncture to help everyone, and fully believes in Traditional Chinese Medicine’s ability to help and heal the broad spectrum of conditions of those coming to his practice.

It’s not just those who are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and depression, chronic illness, and other various mental emotional disorders. Nate has treated musculoskeletal conditions and the complexities of complex individual cases that other individuals may present with.

There’s nothing more satisfying than watching the progression of each patient when they embark upon their individual health journey, and Nate has great passion to help facilitate patients to obtain their health goals.