🏠 Te Whare Tapa Whā - Holistic Wellness Assessment
Personal Hauora Evaluation with Sir Mason Durie
🌟 Holistic Wellbeing Framework
Created by Sir Mason Durie, Te Whare Tapa Whā compares wellbeing to a house (whare) with four walls. Like a house, if one wall is weak, the whole structure is unstable. This handout helps you assess YOUR hauora across all four dimensions.
💪 Physical
🧠 Mental
👨👩👧👦 Social
✨ Spiritual
📺 Hear from the Creator: Sir Mason Durie
Video: "The significance of Te Whare Tapa Whā" - Ministry of Health NZ (52 seconds)
Sir Mason Durie developed this model to transform how we think about health - moving from "fixing illness" to "building complete wellbeing." As you watch, notice how he explains why ALL four dimensions must be strong.
📖 LITERACY - Understanding the Four Dimensions
💪 Taha Tinana - Physical Wellbeing
Definition: The physical dimension - your body's health, strength, and functioning.
Includes:
- Physical fitness and strength
- Nutrition and eating well
- Sleep and rest
- Absence of illness/injury
- Energy levels
In your own words, what is taha tinana?
Give 3 examples of how YOU strengthen your taha tinana:
🧠 Taha Hinengaro - Mental & Emotional Wellbeing
Definition: Your thoughts, feelings, and emotional health - how you think and feel about yourself and the world.
Includes:
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Managing stress and emotions
- Mental clarity and focus
- Ability to learn and grow
- Positive mindset
In your own words, what is taha hinengaro?
Give 3 examples of how YOU care for your taha hinengaro:
👨👩👧👦 Taha Whānau - Social & Family Wellbeing
Definition: Your relationships and connections - family, friends, community, and your sense of belonging.
Includes:
- Strong family connections
- Supportive friendships
- Sense of belonging
- Community involvement
- Giving and receiving support
In your own words, what is taha whānau?
Who are the key people in YOUR whānau support network?
✨ Taha Wairua - Spiritual Wellbeing
Definition: Your spiritual dimension - connection to things beyond yourself, purpose, identity, and values (NOT just religion!).
Includes:
- Connection to culture/identity
- Sense of purpose and meaning
- Values and beliefs
- Connection to nature/whenua
- Personal growth and reflection
- Religious/spiritual practices (if relevant to you)
In your own words, what is taha wairua?
What gives YOUR life meaning and purpose?
🔢 NUMERACY - Quantifying Your Hauora
Personal Wellness Self-Assessment
Instructions: For each dimension, rate yourself honestly from 1-10:
- 1-3: This area needs urgent attention - struggling
- 4-6: Doing okay but room for improvement
- 7-8: Strong in this area - feeling good
- 9-10: Excellent - thriving in this dimension
💪 Taha Tinana Score:
Why this score?
🧠 Taha Hinengaro Score:
Why this score?
👨👩👧👦 Taha Whānau Score:
Why this score?
✨ Taha Wairua Score:
Why this score?
📊 Create Your Hauora Graph
TASK: Create a bar graph showing your scores across all four dimensions
Graph Setup:
- X-axis: The 4 dimensions (Tinana, Hinengaro, Whānau, Wairua)
- Y-axis: Scores from 0-10
- Draw bars for each dimension to show your current wellbeing
- Use different colors for each dimension
Mathematical Analysis:
- Calculate your TOTAL score (add all 4 scores): _______/40
- Calculate your AVERAGE score (divide by 4): _______/10
- Which dimension is your STRONGEST? _________________
- Which dimension needs the most attention? _________________
- What is the DIFFERENCE between your highest and lowest score? _______
📈 Tracking Wellness Over Time
Complete this assessment again in 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. Track how your scores change!
Graphing Challenge:
Create a LINE GRAPH showing each dimension over time. This helps you see patterns:
- Which dimension improves fastest?
- Which stays consistent?
- Are there times of year when your hauora changes?
🧠 CRITICAL THINKING - Comparing Health Models
Māori vs. Western Health Models
Comparison Task: Fill in this comparison table:
Critical Analysis:
Which model do you think is more complete? Why? Can both models work together?
🏥 Applying Te Whare Tapa Whā to Healthcare
Scenario: A doctor sees two patients with headaches:
Western Medical Approach: Prescribe pain medication, check for physical causes (brain scan if severe)
Te Whare Tapa Whā Approach: Investigate all four dimensions:
- Tinana: Physical causes (dehydration, eye strain, etc.)
- Hinengaro: Stress, anxiety, lack of sleep?
- Whānau: Family problems? Relationship stress?
- Wairua: Disconnection? Loss of purpose?
Discussion: How might addressing ALL four dimensions lead to better health outcomes than just treating physical symptoms?
🚀 Personal Hauora Action Plan
Based on your self-assessment, create a realistic action plan to strengthen your weakest dimension:
1. Dimension I will focus on: _____________________________
2. Current score: _______/10
3. Goal score in 1 month: _______/10
4. Three specific actions I will take:
5. Who can support me? (whānau, friends, teachers, counselor)
6. How will I know if I'm improving? (What will change? What will you notice?)
👩🏫 Teacher Notes - Safe & Supportive Implementation
⚠️ Critical Safety Protocols:
- Privacy: This is deeply personal. Students should NOT be forced to share scores publicly.
- Mental Health: Low scores in hinengaro/wairua may indicate students needing support - follow school protocols.
- Confidentiality: If students disclose concerning information, follow mandatory reporting requirements.
- Support Resources: Have helpline numbers available (Youthline 0800 376 633, 1737 text/call, Lifeline 0800 543 354).
- Cultural Safety: Acknowledge taha wairua may be unfamiliar/uncomfortable for some - provide alternatives.
Timing & Differentiation:
- Video + discussion: 5-10 minutes
- Literacy (vocabulary): 15-20 minutes
- Self-assessment + graphing: 20-25 minutes
- Action planning: 15-20 minutes
- Total: 55-75 minutes (1 lesson + homework option)
Extension & Integration:
- Connect to science (brain health, nutrition, exercise physiology)
- Link to English (personal narrative writing, reflective essay)
- Integrate with PE (fitness testing, movement as medicine)
- Use in guidance/pastoral care programs
- Great for Year 9-10 transition programs