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."
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 against a lawyer who is failed to administer Jonah's estate to Nadene, she is the residuary beneficiary of her husbands will, which means she can receive what is left in the estate after gifts have been distributed and the estate debts and costs paid. Additionally the executor has failed in his fiduciary duties and obligations as Trustee by not acting in the best interests of Nadene and her and Jonah's children, Brayley and Dhyreille Lomu.
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. Nadene has been shafted and therefore chosen not to support a documentary made on her husband that has a narrative against what Jonah would be in support of. Additionally, they are including those who cannot genuinely share Jonah's story.
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, 14, and Brayley, 15.
"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 and the failure of Jonah Lomu's estate administration despite nine years approaching and additionally being provided confirmation through lawyers over the years this would happen, yet he has reneged to the detriment of Nadene and her children, despite such legal obligations to act in their best interests.
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.
"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 and a lineup of sports cars. Our common interests were 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."
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 to put into a judicial system when this shouldn't be happening to us. I need to keep a roof over my children's head, they need it and they are chasing their dreams to be the best they can be. But I'm not about to be silenced either like the same executor is trying to silence other people through their deceased family's estate, especially 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 but failed to respond. - pmn news.