'I promised Jonah to protect our children'

Jonah Lomu died in 2015 but he continues to make headlines across the world.

Lomu is a name that resonates with rugby fans - a force of nature on the field, he was also a beloved member of the New Zealand All Blacks.

Just last week, rugby pundit and Wallaby great David Campese picked his all-time Bledisloe Cup XV, and in true Campo style, there were a few surprises.

But there was one name that was no shock at all to the Australian legend. Jersey No.11 belongs to Jonah Lomu, Campese said.

"Do I really have to explain this one. Game-changing in every way and a wonderful person. No runner-up here, Jonah all the way."

Jonah Lomu was the youngest person to don the All Blacks jersey, debuting on the wing at age 19 against France in 1994. Photo/supplied

In Aotearoa, a significant victory was won by Lomu's company Stylez in court last month over the trademarking of the "Jonah Lomu" name.

Lomu retired from professional rugby in 2007, 12 years after he was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a serious kidney disorder. He died on 18 November 2015 from a heart attack linked to his kidney disease. He was 40.

After his death, his wife Nadene, found herself in a legal tug-of-war with Stylez over the rights to his name.

The Commission of Trademarks ruled that Jonah's will was clear: he left his estate to his lawyer, Christopher Darlow, to administer and not to his wife.

Nadene is a residuary beneficiary of her husband's will, which means she can receive what is left in the estate after gifts have been distributed and the estate debts and costs paid.

At the heart of the dispute is a documentary about Lomu’s life that Stylez and a United Kingdom-based company plan to produce - a project Nadene Lomu strongly opposes.

In an exclusive interview with Pacific Mornings' host William Terite, Nadene opens up about the heartbreak, the legal battle she’s fighting to protect Jonah’s legacy and their children, and the toll it has had on Dhyreille, 15, and Brayley, 16.

"For the children and I, the boys, they've grown a lot now. And the magnitude of what we've been viciously amongst. We were a family, we were people that Jonah loved. There were no others that Jonah loved more than us.

"We had to learn how to relive life. We had to learn how to breathe again, without him by our side, without our protector being there, like every step of the way.

"I knew it would be difficult once Jonah wouldn't be able to speak. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought it would be what it's been. All behind closed doors."

This is Nadene Lomu's first public interview since her husband's death and since the legal battles began.

So why now? Why did she feel the need to open up after nearly nine years?

"Jonah made me keep a promise and he said to me 'No matter how hard it gets, no matter who you come up against, promise me you'll keep fighting.

"I made that promise, not expecting it would be this hard. But I feel I have a duty to Jonah to protect what he wanted me to and to protect our children."

There were claims Jonah died penniless and the public, including the media, portrayed Nadene negatively over their extravagant lifestyle.

It was no secret of the couple's love for music and fast cars.

Jonah, Nadene, and their sons Brayley and Dhyreille. Photo/supplied

"I've been painted as incompetent, as not able to do anything, that I'm about the money. I am not that. I was a successful person before Jonah and I ended up together. I had a property portfolio. I had a lineup of sports cars. Our common interest was music and fast cars.

"When Jonah and I ended up together, and I have never said this before because I've always tried my best to protect Jonah, but the children know this - for people that have been married and divorced, separated, that costs money.

"When Jonah separated from his second wife or divorced his second wife, he walked away from 50 per cent of his relationship property entitlement. He walked with nothing but the backpack on his back and the car he drove.

"So to paint me that I'm the one that took all his glorious money? No, actually, he came to me. It was never about the money because I knew there wasn't money there."

Nadene, of Sāmoan and Māori heritage, shared personal stories of the family's grief, resilience, and the promises she made to Jonah to fight for their family.

She also sheds light on the exploitation that Pacific families often face, what she sees as the unjust legal system, and why she refuses to give up.

"As a Pacific Island girl, I feel I owe a duty to our people to share with them the brutality of what we are facing and we shouldn't be facing this. I know it's an uncomfortable discussion especially for our Pacific Island people.

"I know that Pacific Islanders face this all the time. I know that we are an identity taken advantage of all the time. And it's having that voice and it's having that platform. And I have that. So it's important I use that in the right way. So when you say why now, I think there's no better time than now."

Brayley Lomu, 16, accompanied his mother to the PMN office in Manukau. Photo/PMN News - Justin Latif

Nadene Lomu maintains that she does support a documentary about her husband, just not the production being currently planned by Darlow.

"It's not that I never wanted something to be done on Jonah. By all means, he deserves it. For something to be made deserving of Jonah, it needs to be done the right way.

"When people claim to want to pay tribute or respect Jonah, but you can't respect his wishes, and you can't respect me and the children, well, who's about the money now? Because you take that away, you take all of that funding away, do they still want to help the children and I do something like that? Because we want to. It needs to be done.

"When you don't have the key people, the likes of Sir Michael Jones, who fully supports what we do. Eric Rush, his deputy principal, you know, the key people who were there throughout Jonah's life before we became a family, so I'm not trying to take those positions away from anybody. All of those key people aren't even part of this. They don't even support what's got the green light right now."

Nadene also maintains she is the true owner of the Jonah Lomu Estate outlined in his will.

"I don't have money. But I'm not about to be silenced either when I've been painted to take Jonah's money.

"The fight's not over."

Darlow is in the UK and has been approached for comment.

Watch Nadene Lomu's full interview below.