About Us
We are a Pacific-led social enterprise and community organisation dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our purpose is not profit, but positive impact: we reinvest our resources back into our communities through training, mentoring, and research that uplifts Pacific voices.
Our mission is to strengthen Pacific communities by offering culturally grounded workshops, consulting services, and community-based research initiatives. Our team brings extensive experience, having led or contributed to research funded by the Royal Society (Marsden Grant), the Health Research Council, and Healthier Lives—National Health Challenge.
As part of our commitment, we also create and share Pasifika-led publications and resources, ensuring that cultural knowledge and community priorities remain at the heart of health research and practice.
Involving Pasifika people in health research
Involving Pasifika people in health research
Our Services
Consulting & Facilitation
Providing tailored support for Pacific-focused research, programme evaluation, and culturally informed planning. Revenue from our consulting supports our community programmes and capacity-building work.
Co-Design Workshops
Training in participatory, community-led research and collaborative design, including creative engagement methods.
Holistic & Spiritual Health
Workshops exploring the role of spirituality in Pacific wellbeing and health systems.
Creative Knowledge Sharing
Supporting emerging Pacific researchers to find new ways of sharing knowledge — from publications and storytelling to community events and dissemination workshops.
Our social enterprise goals
Our social impact goal is to grow and sustain pathways for the next generation of Pacific health researchers and leaders. By combining enterprise services with community reinvestment, we are building a more diverse and inclusive research community.
Through mentorship, training, and collaborative opportunities, we equip emerging researchers with the skills and confidence to address the complex health challenges facing Pacific peoples. This not only advances research excellence, but also improves health equity and empowers Pacific voices at every level.
When funders and partners invest in our work, they are directly supporting a model that channels resources back into community benefit — nurturing new leaders, fostering innovation, and creating lasting positive change.
As a Pacific-led social enterprise, Ala Le Manuia is supported by a network of dedicated contributors — from researchers and facilitators to advisors, contractors, and volunteers. Our team works collectively rather than hierarchically, ensuring Pacific communities remain at the centre. Director Penina Hitti (left) is pictured here with some of the team.
Director: Penina Hitti
Penina is the founding Director of Ala Le Manuia. She holds a Bachelor of Teaching, a Bachelor of Arts in Information Systems, and a Master of Public Health with a specialisation in Pacific health. She is currently a PhD candidate doing her research on Pacific childhood experiences and adult health outcomes, at Massey University.
Our values
Community-Centered
We put Pacific communities first in all we do. We work with communities, not on them, ensuring that solutions are co-designed and culturally relevant.
Respectful Collaboration
We value the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of our Pacific peoples, and we prioritise partnerships built on trust and respect.
Innovation and Excellence
We strive for creativity, adaptability, and measurable impact — ensuring that our enterprise delivers both high-quality services and meaningful outcomes for Pacific wellbeing.