Josh Liavaa
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Tu'iono Siosiua Liava'a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 May 1948 Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 13 July 2014 (aged 66) Kahaluu, Hawaii, United States of America | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: RLP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tu'iono Siosiua "Josh" Liava'a (10 May 1948 – 13 July 2014)[1] was a Tongan-born rugby league player who represented New Zealand in the 1975 World Cup.
Playing career
A Northcote Tigers player in the Auckland Rugby League competition, Liava'a played for Auckland and in 1975 was picked in the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the 1975 World Cup.[2]
In 1977 Liava'a played for New Zealand Māori in the Pacific Cup.[3]
Personal life
Liava'a was a member of the New Zealand Police and later ran a nightclub in Sydney.[4]
Liava'a was married several times, including to:
- Princess Siuilikutapu of Tonga, a niece of Tongan monarch Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV; they married in November 1969. The king was reportedly furious and lured the princess back to Tonga, where she was kept under palace arrest. The marriage was annulled by royal decree.[5]
- Levaai Nancy Wolfgramm, a cousin of the Olympic silver medallist boxer Paea Wolfgramm. The couple married in 1971.
In the 1980s Liava'a reportedly had an affair with Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV's only daughter, Princess Pilolevu Tuita.[6]
He died from a gunshot in Hawaii on 13 July 2014.[7]
References
- ^ "Tu'iono Siosiua Liava'a obituary". New Zealand Herald. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ Northcote and Birkenhead Tigers Rugby League and Sports Club Inc Historical Information Auckland Rugby League, 2009
- ^ John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. pp. 198–201. ISBN 978-1-86969-331-2. ISBN 1-86969-331-0.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Retribution lingers after forbidden royal romance". The New Zealand Herald. 20 November 2000. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ "Tonga a troubled kingdom". The New Zealand Herald. 19 January 2002. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ "TONGA’S PRINCESS PILOLEVU SPEAKS OF LOVE LETTERS AND BUSINESS", 2001, Michael Field
- ^ "Joshua Tu’iono Liava’a dies following shooting incident", 15/07/2014, Kaniva Pacific