Frequently asked questions and their answers
2025 trip dates
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3 Jan - 3 Feb
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6 July - 20 July
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2025 trip dates 〰️ 3 Jan - 3 Feb 〰️ 6 July - 20 July 〰️
General FAQS
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a) A non for profit (working on getting our charity status as we speak!)
b) A cross-ocean-community
c) A travel business
d) all the above…
That’s right its (d)! Gosh you’re clever.
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Kudos to mum for the banging name! Full credit goes to her it was going to be something lame but she came to our rescue… what’s new. It stands for:
Meaningful
Action
Transparent
Environment
Support
These are the key pillars of our NFP and we love acrostic poems…
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To begin with - they are the best. They are such a beautiful peoples and there is so much we can learn from their community values. Then there are some practical reasons: it is only a 4 hour flight from Sydney (where we are based), it is cheap to travel there and they have government systems which are conducive to a non-for-profit operating.
Also the political reasons - I (Hi, Charlie, The Founder here :) ) personally think it should be the responsibility of all Australians to support our Pacific Island neighbours. Heck, if we had it my way there would be passport free travel between us all.
So setting up mates in Fiji made all the sense in the world.
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Because we don’t like being told what to do. Ha! Whilst true it comes down to removing as many barriers for entry as possible for people to get involved.
If we only offer people the opportunity to come teach at a school…. there are plenty of people who simply won’t get involved because that’s not up their alley. Instead - offering a space where people can flex their creativity and ingenuity is much more appealing. No cookie cutting here.
In saying that we do have a long term goal to build a new community safe from rising sea levels. Even that - the ways people can be involved will be so varied!
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Because other options for volunteer tourism just don’t cut it…
We don’t want to force people into a specific box - we are more creative than that.
We have the time to give good support to volunteers when they are in Fiji. Noones getting chucked in the deep end here.
People love to travel.
It’s great for the Fijians English speaking practice. It’s beautiful.
People can bring over necessary supplies and resources from Australia where we have manufacturing and shipping isn’t ridiculously expensive.
For example: We want a rugby team to book a week with mates for their end of season trip. Fundraise throughout the season, collect second hand boots at training, get excited, build community and then come over to Fiji with their loot! Boots in Fiji are double the cost as they are here and average wages per week are about 1/3 the cost of the pair of boots…. So we bring a 7kg backpack each on the plane and buy 40kgs of bags and stack them with boots. Every Fijian boy get his ULTIMATE wish in life. Then the Aussies learn what real rugby looks like, make friends, share stories, laugh a lot and have a great holiday.
We figure empathy isn’t limited so why would we make our options?
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No hurry no worry! Take your time to look through the website. Send us an email and we can work together to find a way you can get involved.
If you’d like to donate to mates in general because you don’t mind where the money is used because it all looks so fabulous… (oh my goodness, stop you’re making me blush) click here for the general go fund me.
How does it work? - Step by step breakdown
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We are big readers and book club for today is to have a look through the website and see if we are the right fit for you. We are about doing, making, listening, sharing, working and communing.
There is also more of our vibe on instagram @matesfiji. You can also sign up for our newsletter for more.
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Boo yah! We are so keen to have you! Confirm your spot by paying the $500 deposit
The $500 deposit covers most of the cost of the accommodation and hire car, obviously it may be more if you plan to star longer than a week - more info about pricing here.
We guarantee a full refund of the deposit up to 30 days before your departure date.
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With the travel insurance we back, flights we recommend, details of the accommodation, and hire car info for you to confirm. A key pillar of mates is that we are transparent - no hidden costs, you know where every dollar goes.
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Oh my goodness how exciting! With all the information we sent - you book your flights & insurance - we (with your deposit) will confirm the car hire and accommodation! If there is anything left from the deposit we can refund it or your can put it straight towards your project!
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Time for us to learn from you - fill in our questionnaire and we will come up with some custom project for your trip. We will provide you with 3 options for you to chose from and you’ll have an opportunity to pitch your own ideas.
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We will send you the code of conduct, media release, intellectual property form, emergency contact and dietary requirement paperwork etc. for you to sign
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Yippee! So exciting that the project is confirmed - we make quite a team. You will then have an opportunity to troubleshoot with our team about fundraising ideas and we will provide you with any necessary resources (posters, go fund me, a webpage on our site to direct your community to!)
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We will help you to come up with a fundraising idea which feels super comfortable for you. This might be organising a cold plunge, fun run, crafternoon, trivia night, giant ball, the possibilities are endless! Something that your community can easily get around because we know asking for money can feel a bit dicey (we are here to help!)
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A fortnight before the trip Charlie will host a meet up with everyone on your trip. This is an opportunity to meet one another. Charlie will also give a cultural competency presentation so that you know what to expect. Obviously at this time and all times you can ask any questions you have.
Packing lists will be sent out
Count the days down on the calendar in the kitchen
Spread the word to your community
Make lists of things you want to look our for whilst your away to inform any further work you want to do.
Charlie will help you pack your extra bags (this is so dependant on what project you’re doing, may be clothes if you project is to help mates on the back end, or chess boards if thats what you’ve fundraised for)
Get excited <3
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Boo yah! Meet you at the airport and off we go - ahhhhh!
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No matter what we promise you will have an ace holiday. All we need is a positive attitude, adventurous spirit and willingness to lead heart first.
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‘Cause you’ll have your friends there, true community. So when we follow up 2 weeks after we return - you’ll let us know you are already going back and have it all sorted and are taking a, b, c and doing x, y, z…. (and we can’t wait for this to be the case for you)
Collection FAQs
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2 Kangaroo Street, Manly, NSW 2095
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Send us a message and we will try and sort out a time to meet in the middle or maybe we can come to you!
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Please!
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There are some things that aren’t appropriate or needed (jeans, crop tops etc). We have a connection with a local organisation ‘The Sisterhood’ who donate things to women’s shelters and we give things we won’t use to them!