This article introduces Tofa'a'anolasi, a novel Samoan research framework created by drawing on the work of other Samoan and Pacific education researchers, in combination with adapting the 'Foucauldian tool box' to use for research carried out from a Samoan perspective. The article starts with an account and explanation of the process of developing and of naming Tofa'a'anolasi as a Samoan form of Critical Discourse Analysis. Following this is a discussion of the features of Tofa'a'anolasi and the theoretical underpinnings that explain the understandings and processes of this research framework. The article concludes with a story from assessment practice that acts as an example of applying this approach to educational research centred on Samoan students in Auckland, New Zealand.