Do we like Jonah Lomu?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Kind and widely loved with no harmful words on record, but the record on his views is thin, so not a full ten.
Jonah Lomu grew up in Mangere, South Auckland, spent part of his early childhood in Tonga, and went to Wesley College, where he was the youngest student to make the first fifteen. He debuted for the All Blacks in June 1994 aged 19, the youngest ever to do it. He finished with 63 Tests and 37 tries.
The 1995 World Cup made him rugby's first global superstar. The image everyone remembers is him trampling England fullback Mike Catt. By 1997 he was a worldwide sporting face with big sponsorship deals, and he even had a video game named after him.
On the harm test, we found nothing. There are no quotes of him demeaning anyone, no campaigning against any group, no conspiracy theories and no dodgy company. To be fair, he died in 2015 and rarely waded into politics, so the record is quiet rather than a glowing endorsement of anything.
On the nice test he scores very high. He became a UNICEF NZ ambassador in 2011, and said it was “the best way for me to do that”. He was also patron of a children's charity, visiting its camps and Christmas parties. UNICEF NZ's director called him “a hero to so many New Zealanders” and a devoted role model.
Mates and rivals say the same thing. Former Wallabies captain John Eales called him very humble off the field. A member of his old Mangere Tongan church said he “kind of opened up the door for the Pacific Islanders”. The 2026 documentary's co-director calls him “humble, respectful and pleasant — a big friendly giant until the end”.
The fresh news is about his legacy, not his conduct. A dispute over control of his name and image put the documentary on hold until a tribunal ruled, after which it premiered overseas and then came home to Aotearoa. The Spinoff's review calls him a “gentle giant”, softly spoken off the field.