Triplets born within minutes of each other graduate on the same day

The brothers with Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban.

By Finau Fonua of RNZ

A trio of identical triplets have graduated with law degrees on the very same day.

Cale, Max and Jackson Tu’inukuafe, who are of Tongan descent through their father, all graduated from Victoria University of Wellington this week.

Triplets are rare, and according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, identical triplets only occur once in every 10,000 births.

Middle brother Max says it’s a special bond that they share.

“It’s a closeness in relationship - it’s like a higher version of [being] brothers. We’ve been together since day one, so we’re very close,” he said.

In Tongan, triplets are known as Mahanga Tolu, the literal translation of which is ‘twin three’.

The Auckland-based Tu’inukuafe trio all wanted to study law and decided to move down together to study at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University as it provided something new.

The brothers have an inseparable bond of support, but they were also competitive.

“We’re always constantly grinding to get on top of each other, but at the end of the day, we all end up being pretty even,” said Max.

“Yeah, no, we’re extremely competitive with each other,” said the youngest of the three, Jackson.

“We have our ups and downs because we clash with each other ... but we’re still pretty good friends,” he added.

The quirks of triplets

Being identical triplets comes with its quirks, with many unable to tell the difference between them.

“We’ve gotten used to seeing people that our brothers know but that we don’t know - we act like we know them because one of our brothers might be friends with them,” Jackson said.

Having three look-alikes on the rugby pitch would make for an intimidating on-field presence, with the brothers looking out for each other when they play.

Being identical triplets comes with its quirks, with many unable to tell the difference between them.

“There’ve been a few years where we played on the same rugby team,” said Max

“If anything happened to one of us, the other two would go over and help him out - it was pretty good, playing with my brothers,” he added.

A celebration of Pasifika achievement

The triplets’ graduation was a cause for celebration for the Pasifika Hub at Victoria University, a designated Pasifika team that aims to improve representation and support for staff and students.

Pasifika people are under-represented in law in New Zealand, so having three enter the legal arena at the same time was quite a feat.

The trio are now pursuing careers as lawyers and working for firms in Auckland.

“It’s a really proud feeling that we can represent our Tongan heritage and, hopefully, encourage young Pasifika to pursue a tertiary degree,” said Cale.

“We had a very Palagi upbringing, but are very proud of our Tongan heritage,” he added.