Christchurch-based acupuncturist Thomas Lin has found a way to turn his day job into being an ambassador for “one of the treasures” of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

The TCM practitioner has launched a nationwide initiative to collect one million acupuncture needles as a cultural gift to Canterbury Museum, creating the first collection of its kind in New Zealand.

“For nearly 30 years, acupuncture needles have been part of my daily life,” said Lin, who has run his Riccarton Rd clinic since 1996.