Jonathan Taumateine was born and raised in Auckland, and attended Wesley College.

Jonathan Taumateine has a unique skillset ranging from exciting playmaking abilities to physical dominance not often seen in halfbacks. He’s able to lead the team with his high tempo and creative style of play. He set himself apart from fellow halfbacks with his signature physicality, which saw him get his first-class opportunity representing the Samoa Under 20s side in 2015 and the New Zealand Under 20s team in 2016 at the World Rugby Under 20s Championship.

Taumateine was selected to represent New Zealand in the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship, and joined Counties Manukau for the NPC season that year. He was then called into the Chiefs as an injury replacement.

He was selected to represent New Zealand in the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.

The savvy halfback signed a two-year deal with the Chiefs and made his Super Rugby debut against the Highlanders in 2017, coming off the bench to replace Tawera Kerr-Barlow. That same year he was part of the Chiefs team that faced the British and Irish Lions, also bringing spark off the bench.

Taumateine spent a short stint with the Hurricanes from 2020-2021. His talent was noticed by Manu Samoa when he was named in their squad for their 2021 July test matches. He went on to make his international debut for Samoa in a 42-13 win over Tonga. Since then he has also represented Samoa at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

In 2022, Taumateine joined Moana Pasifika for their inaugural season, making his debut for the side against the Crusaders. He has gone from strength to strength as a one of the most experienced players in the team. In 2024 he was sideline for most of the season with injury but returned in 2025 to play the best rugby of his career. He formed a formidable partnership with fly half Patrick Pellegrini with some impressive performances in the club’s historic year. In 2025 he played a total of 912 minutes and showed his impact across 13 games, being an integral part of Moana’s success.

Moana Pasifika debut: 2022 v Crusaders

Nick Name: JT