Partner with us
Who we are
O le Fale lenei e lalaga ai le Measina a Samoa — this is the soulful house where the treasures (ietoga, fala, siapo, meataulima, agava’a eseese, gagana, aganu’u, so’otaga, gafa ma faiā o tagata) of Samoa are woven.
Falelalaga is a Pacific-led social enterprise and community, founded in 2019 by Saoatulagi-ole-Tagaloa Penina Ifopo. We work across two connected organisations: Falelalaga Ltd, our trading and cultural enterprise, and Fale Lalaga Village, our charitable trust. One weaves commerce, the other weaves community — together they carry the same purpose.
From fine weaving (lalaga) and Pacific products, to language classes, intergenerational programmes, and whānau-facing support across South and East Auckland, everything we do is rooted in the same Samoan worldview: weaving people together in shared learning, wellbeing and belonging.
We partner with funders, government agencies, councils, churches, schools and community organisations who are looking for a close, authentic connection into Pacific communities. If that's what you're looking for, we'd love to talk.
How the two sides work together
Falelalaga isn't just a craft shop, and it isn't just a community programme. It's both, deliberately connected.
Falelalaga Ltd carries the commercial side: weaving and cultural products, the Pacific Vibes market, cultural entrepreneurship and trading activity sourced from across the Pacific.
Fale Lalaga Village carries the charitable side: intergenerational learning, seniors, cultural programmes and training, homework centre and education initiatives, and our long-term vision of establishing a school.
Trade funds purpose. Every sale helps create opportunities for the wider community and charitable work — and every partnership, whether commercial or funded, strengthens both sides of what we do.
Why organisations partner with us
Our values guide every partnership:
• Atua — grounded in spirituality and the sacred knowledge of our ancestors. Faith comes first.
• Aiga — family and community as the central unit of everything we do.
• Alofa Fetausia'i — sharing love: reciprocity, generosity, and mutual care.
At a glance
Operating
since
2019
Communities
we reach
Māngere, Papatoetoe, Ōtara, Wiri, Manurewa, Papakura, New Lynn, Kelston, Glen Eden, Henderson-Massey
Team
A committed base of around 20 volunteers and 5 staff led by founder Saoatulagi-ole-Tagaloa Penina Ifopo-Sarau
Governance
A Samoan governance model strengthening the Board's leadership and commitment - collective decision-making, elder-guided, community-led, transparent and accountable
Track
record
Trusted culturally grounded programmes already delivered alongside councils, Local Boards, government agencies, universities, NGOs, churches, and Pacific health and community organisations
Organisations partner with us because we bring something they can't build themselves: deep, trusted, everyday relationships inside Pacific communities — not a one-off engagement, but an ongoing one.
What partnership looks like in practice
A young family came to us under real pressure — job loss, health struggles, kids finding school hard, and an elder needing daily care. What they wanted most was to reconnect with their Samoan heritage.
Over the following year, our wraparound, culturally grounded support helped the parents into stable work and housing, supporting mum to learn weaving, sewing and elei printing through our Cultural Entrepreneurship Programme. Now she's turning her learning into a small weaving business, immersing the children into the Samoan language and identity through our Homework and after school programme, mentoring the young person to transition into tertiary studies and gave their grandmother a renewed sense of purpose through our Amanaia Seniors programme.
That's what a partnership with Falelalaga funds and enables: not a one-off service, but a relationship that holds a whole family, drawing on culture as the source of strength rather than an add-on to it.
Who we already work with
We're proud to work alongside Auckland Council, The Cause Collective, Tatou Collective, Oranga Tamariki, Pacific Business Trust, Te Whatu Ora, Ministry for Pacific Peoples, Local Boards (Manurewa, Whau, Henderson-Massey and Waitakere Ranges), University of Otago, University of Auckland, Fonua Ola, Pasefika Family Health, The Fono, and Moana Connect plus a wider network of government agencies and schools, churches, Pacific health providers, and community organisations across Tāmaki Makaurau.
These partnerships seek us out because Falelalaga has a close, authentic connection with communities throughout Tāmaki Makaurau — the kind of relationship that can't be built from the outside.
Ways to partner with us
-
Funding & commissioning — government agencies and funders commissioning programmes or services delivered through trusted, community-led relationships.
-
Community collaboration — co-designing programmes, shared training, and peer support with other community and grassroots organisations.
-
Business & trade — sourcing, stocking or co-branding Pacific products, or sponsoring events like the Pacific Vibes market, Samoan Independence Day and Pan-Pacific Weaving and Creators Expo.
-
Schools, churches & education — cultural workshops, language programmes and intergenerational learning partnerships.
-
Cultural advisory and facilitation - supporting your organisation and staff with cultural competency training
-
Space & events — hosting or co-hosting community gatherings, workshops and events with us.