A male pedestrian has died after being struck by a train in Auckland’s Mt Albert yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to Baldwin Ave railway station after a train struck a pedestrian at about 3.30pm on Wednesday.

Late last night, Auckland Shift Commander Inspector Kerry Watson said a male pedestrian died at the scene.

“We have been working to notify his next of kin, and the community will appreciate that this will be devasting news for them,” Watson said.

Police have spoken with a number of high school students that were on the platform at the time of the incident.

A cordon was in place, but was lifted at 9.30pm.

“Anyone who may have witnessed what happened, and who hasn’t spoken to police, are asked to make contact.”

Anyone with information is asked to make a report online, or call 105.

‘Check before travelling’ – AT

Auckland Transport (AT) urged Western Line customers to check before travelling this morning, as there may be some ongoing disruption to services.

“Some train service cancellations are expected on the Western Line on Thursday morning, and services that do resume may be at reduced capacity,” a spokesperson said.

“Before heading out for your morning commute, please check the AT Journey Planner or the AT mobile app for the latest information to plan your journey.”

All train commuters were urged to check before they travel, as the network was still recovering from yesterday’s disruption.

Yesterday, a student who was aboard the train told 1News he felt a bump just before reaching the station, jolting him and other passengers forward in their seats.

Passengers were asked to stay put and remained on the train for what felt like 40 minutes before they were able to leave.

Mt Albert Grammar School staff were also seen at the scene.

By Indira Stewart, 1News In-depth Multimedia Reporter, and is republished with permission

As fans here and overseas unite to watch the new doco about New Zealand’s greatest rugby legend Jonah Lomu, back home there still remains the deeply divided family he left behind. In an exclusive interview with TVNZ, Lomu’s mother Hepi reveals she hasn’t had contact with the late All Black’s children Brayley and Dhyreille in years.

“I haven’t seen them,” says Hepi Lomu of the two boys, now in their mid- to late teens. “Maybe a long time ago after Jonah died [his wife Nadene Lomu] bring the boys here, but that’s all. I pray God is going to touch those two and one day, we can meet.”

LOMU, currently screening nationwide, premiered at Auckland’s Civic Theatre last month. It was reported as an emotional event attended by hundreds but, Hepi says, her grandsons weren’t present.

“They were invited to the premiere but I don’t know why they not come, but it doesn’t matter to me. I’m happy whether they watch or don’t watch. That’s their decision,” she says.

The film touches on Lomu’s three marriages, including his last to his widow Nadene, but did not disclose the strained relationship between Lomu’s family and Nadene.

Last year, Nadene, alongside her two sons, spoke to TVNZ on the tenth anniversary of Lomu’s death about her frustrations over the way she believes Lomu continues to be exploited and her longstanding battle for the rights to his name and image.

Hepi says that interview prompted her to finally speak out, after a decade of silence. “Although the discussion was about other things it felt as if she was putting us down and putting down the people who worked with Jonah,” she says.

“Just let it be. She should have just left the children out and not exposed them. I don’t want this to become a matter of people trying to investigate who’s right or wrong.”

Nadene was involved in initial discussions with the documentary makers but chose not to be part of it and took legal action in 2023 in an attempt to block the film. The following year the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand ruled against her claims, allowing Tongan-Kiwi filmmaker Vea Mafile’o and Irish filmmaker Gavin Fitzgerald to continue production – with the aid of an $800,000 grant from the Film Commission.

That ruling also affirmed the instructions Lomu had left in his will. He gave full control over his money, trademark and properties to his long-time lawyer Chris Darlow, for the benefit of his sons Brayley and Dhyreille.

‘If there was no me, there would be no Jonah’

The film has done little to heal family rifts – in fact, quite the opposite. While Nadene told TVNZ last year that her late husband “was not public property”, he was, says Hepi, her son. “What she needs to understand is – I’m the mother. I am his mother. Sometimes, she doesn’t want us to be involved in anything. Everything of Jonah is belong to them.

“But now he die, I said – if there was no me, there would be no Jonah and none of this would be happening today.”

Lomu is often described as rugby’s first true global superstar and, at the height of his career, he was said to be worth millions. But there are no signs of that in the humble South Auckland home where he grew up and where Hepi still resides. A wall cabinet full of his trophies, awards and priceless memorabilia are all that remain of his legacy in the family’s home.

Among the treasures, hundreds of hours of never-before-seen home video footage some of which features in LOMU. Other exclusive clips are published for the first time in Hepi’s interview on TVNZ+ where she remembers how Lomu slept in her living room during some of his kidney dialysis treatment, and the last conversation she had with him before he died the next day.

“I didn’t think there would ever be a time like this where we would show these tapes again,” says Hepi of the rare home-video footage of Lomu as a young teen, which she had stored away since his death in 2015. “It is a long time [ago]. I can’t stop crying. I try to forget, I try to let go of it in my heart.

“Sometimes I can, but sometimes I cannot.”

Tonga has reached a historic milestone in higher education, with the country’s national qualifications authority evaluating what it says is the first degree programme submitted for recognition in Tonga to be written entirely in the Tongan language.

The Tonga National Qualifications and Accreditation Board (TNQAB) said its panel evaluation of the Tonga National University Bachelor of Tongan Language and Cultural Studies took place from Monday, August 31 to Saturday, September 5, 2026.

The evaluation represents the first time Tonga’s national quality-assurance standards have been applied to a degree programme presented entirely in Lea Faka-Tonga, according to TNQAB.

First of its kind

TNQAB described the programme as both “unique and nationally significant”, saying it was the first programme submitted for use and recognition in Tonga that had been written completely in Tongan.

The development represents an important step for the use of Lea Faka-Tonga not only as a subject of academic study, but as a language through which an entire university-level programme can be designed, presented and assessed against national higher-education standards.

“It is often said that a people’s culture lives within their language,” TNQAB said.

The Board said the programme presented evaluators with the significant task of determining how Tongan language, culture and academic quality are brought together within a university qualification.

Programme under detailed scrutiny

The accreditation process included an in-depth desk analysis and discussions examining the programme, its curriculum and supporting policies.

The evaluation also included a site visit to Tonga National University and its teaching sites.

The process is intended to assess the programme against Tonga’s applicable national quality-assurance requirements before its recognition.

Three-member panel

The three-member evaluation team was led by Dr Linita Manu‘atu, an Auckland-based Tongan academic and educator.

She was joined by local educators and community leaders Mrs Lasalle Halatuituia and Mr Kalafitoni Latu.

TNQAB Senior Qualifications Analyst Mrs Tupou Pasikala Fiu facilitated the evaluation.

TNQAB wished the panel success in what it described as “historic and important work”.

The significance of the assessment extends beyond the accreditation of an individual degree. If approved, the programme would mark a major development in the institutional use of Lea Faka-Tonga in higher education, demonstrating its application across the curriculum and academic quality-assurance process at bachelor’s-degree level.

NUKUʻALOFA, TONGA — Tonga Police arrested and charged 54 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol during a weekend road-policing enforcement operation.

Police said those arrested comprised 39 males and 15 females.

The arrests were made as part of a road-policing operation targeting drink-driving and improving safety on Tonga’s roads.

Police did not provide further details about where the arrests were made, the ages of those charged, or the alcohol readings recorded during the operation.

Police warn motorists

Tonga Police used the results of the operation to renew its warning about the dangers of driving after consuming alcohol.

“Drink driving places lives at risk,” Police said, urging motorists to make responsible decisions.

The 54 drivers have been charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol.

RNZ Digital reporters

Labour and National are both polling below 30 percent in a new poll that also has Opportunity short of the threshold needed for getting into government.

The Quilae Wong-led upstarts have fallen from 6.1 to 4.5 percent in the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll, bucking the trend found in other polls.

Labour has taken a big hit, down 1.9 to 25.9 percent – its lowest result in this poll since July 2024, and even lower than the 26.9 point thrashing it got at the 2023 election.

National has also taken a tumble, down two points, to 29 percent – also significantly lower than the 38 percentage points it won at the last election.

The current coalition government would be returned to power based on this poll, with Opportunity unable to get above 5 percent and become kingmaker.

ACT and the Greens were the main beneficiaries of the major parties and Opportunity’s collapse. The Greens were up 3.8 percentage points to 13.9 percent, and ACT up 3.2 to 10.5 percent.

New Zealand First was down 0.7 to 8.4 percent.

Te Pāti Māori gained 0.5 points to 2 percent. The party this year hopes to use MMP’s overhang to boost the chance of removing the coalition.

Rounding out the party vote results were NZ Loyal (1.5 percent), Animal Justice (1.2), Women’s Rights (0.7), Vision NZ (0.5) and the New Conservatives (0.5).

When it came to seats, the coalition – National, ACT and NZ First – would get 64 compared to the opposition – Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori – on 56. The right-leaning Taxpayers’ Union’s analysis assumes Te Pāti Māori would win three seats.

Opportunity would get zero on these results, being below the 5 percent threshold.

Christopher Luxon remained ahead of Chris Hipkins as preferred prime minister, down 2 percentage points to 21.2 percent. Hipkins fell 2.9 to 16.9 percent.

The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research for the Taxpayers’ Union. It is a random poll of 1000 adult New Zealanders and is weighted to the overall adult population. It was conducted by phone (landlines and mobile) and online between Tuesday 01 September and Thursday 03 September 2026, has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1% and 4.1% were undecided on the party vote question.

This story was first published on rnz.co.nz