The Manalagi Project is the first health and wellbeing project to be funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. Pacific Rainbow+ communities (LGBTTQIA+ MVPFAFF+) in Aotearoa-New Zealand occupy an intersectional space where racial/ethnic marginality intersects with gender-sex, sexuality diversity. This presents distinctive challenges to realising optimal health and wellbeing outcomes within Aoteraoa-New Zealand’s healthcare and social support systems. Existing research demonstrates that discrimination (racism, homonegativity, heterosexism, transphobia etc) is a strong predictor of adverse mental health and increased risk related behaviour among Rainbow+ communities. This presentation will provide insights into how the Manalagi Project engaged with Pacific Rainbow+ communities in Aotearoa-New Zealand through its community design phase. During this phase, the Manalagi team developed a model of community engagement titled the Manalagi HCLC Model, that leans on the principles of Indigenous and Pacific research methodologies. The Manalagi HCLC Model aims to not only include Pacific Rainbow+ communities in the project design of the national survey, but also to empower our communities to leverage the Manalagi platform to advance their own projects and knowledge creation. This approach takes a holistic view of wellbeing that acknowledges the need to address societal status and visibility as integral contributors to the overall wellbeing of multiply-marginalised groups in Aotearoa-New Zealand.