Introduction to Te Whare Tapa Whā
🌅 Karakia & Cultural Opening
"Kia ora ai te whānau" - That the family may be well
Opening Protocol (5 minutes)
- Acknowledgment of Hauora: Honoring wellbeing as holistic - physical, mental, social, and spiritual
- Setting Intention: Creating a safe, non-judgmental space to explore personal wellbeing
- Connection to Whakapapa: Recognizing that our health connects us to tūpuna and future generations
🎯 Learning Objectives & Success Criteria
By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:
- Define: Explain the four dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā (taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau, taha wairua)
- Assess: Evaluate their own current wellbeing across all four dimensions
- Analyze: Explain why balanced hauora requires strength in all dimensions
- Compare: Contrast holistic Māori health models with Western medical approaches
Success Criteria - Ākonga will demonstrate:
- ✓ Clear understanding of each dimension with concrete examples
- ✓ Honest self-reflection on personal wellbeing
- ✓ Recognition of interconnections between dimensions
- ✓ Identification of one dimension to strengthen
Activity 1: What is Wellbeing? (10 minutes)
Think-Pair-Share Wellbeing Exploration
3 min think + 3 min pair + 4 min shareSilent Reflection (3 minutes):
Students think individually about the question: "What does it mean to be healthy? What does wellbeing look like?"
Prompts to consider:
- How do you know when you're feeling well?
- What helps you feel good in your life?
- Is "being healthy" just about your body?
Pair-Share (3 minutes):
Students share their thoughts with a partner. What similarities and differences do they notice?
Whole-Class Brainstorm (4 minutes):
Collect responses on the board, clustering similar ideas. Look for patterns - are students mentioning only physical health? Or are they including emotions, relationships, purpose?
Teacher Note: Most students will focus on physical health initially. This sets up the revelation that hauora is much broader. Keep all responses - you'll refer back to them.
📺 Hear from Sir Mason Durie - Creator of Te Whare Tapa Whā (3 mins)
Before Watching:
Sir Mason Durie developed this model to help us understand Māori health holistically. As you watch, consider:
- Why does he compare wellbeing to a house (whare)?
- What happens if one "wall" is weak?
After Watching - Quick Discussion (1 min):
Turn to a partner: "What stood out to you from Sir Mason Durie's explanation?"
Note: This video is from the Ministry of Health - showing how important this model is to New Zealand's health system!
Activity 2: Introducing Te Whare Tapa Whā (15 minutes)
The Four Walls of Wellbeing
Teaching + visual modeling🏛️ The Whare Metaphor (5 minutes):
Draw a simple meeting house (whare) on the board with four walls. Explain:
"Imagine a traditional Māori meeting house. It has four strong walls and a foundation. If one wall is weak or broken, what happens to the whole house? It becomes unstable, unsafe. It's exactly the same with our wellbeing."
The Four Walls:
Taha Tinana
Physical health - your body, fitness, nutrition, sleep
Taha Hinengaro
Mental/emotional health - thoughts, feelings, stress management
Taha Whānau
Social health - relationships, family, friends, belonging
Taha Wairua
Spiritual health - values, identity, purpose, connection to something greater
Cultural Context (5 minutes):
Developed by: Sir Mason Durie, a renowned Māori health expert
Based on: Traditional Māori understanding that health is holistic - you can't separate mind, body, and spirit
Why it matters: Western medicine often treats only physical symptoms. Te Whare Tapa Whā recognizes that everything is connected
Global recognition: This model is now used internationally as a gold standard for holistic wellbeing
Examples for Each Dimension (5 minutes):
Go through each wall with concrete teenage examples:
- Taha Tinana: Eating well, playing sports, getting sleep, going to doctor when sick
- Taha Hinengaro: Managing exam stress, talking about your feelings, having good self-esteem
- Taha Whānau: Strong friendships, good family relationships, feeling like you belong at school
- Taha Wairua: Knowing who you are, what you value, feeling connected to your culture or nature or beliefs
Activity 3: Assess Your Whare (15 minutes)
Personal Wellbeing Self-Assessment
Individual reflection + worksheet📄 Handout: Distribute Te Whare Tapa Whā Self-Assessment Tool
Model the Process (3 minutes):
Show students how to honestly assess each dimension. Model with a think-aloud:
Emphasize: This is private. Be honest with yourself - no one else needs to see your ratings unless you choose to share.
Independent Assessment (10 minutes):
Students work silently to complete their self-assessment:
- Rate each dimension out of 10
- Write 2-3 sentences explaining each rating
- Identify strongest dimension and weakest dimension
- Optional: Draw their whare with different-sized walls to visualize
⚠️ Pastoral Care: As students work, circulate quietly. Watch for students rating everything very low or showing signs of distress. Make note to follow up privately. Have counselor contact info ready.
Differentiation Support (2 minutes):
For students who struggle, offer sentence stems:
- "Right now my [dimension] is strong because..."
- "I think my [dimension] needs attention because..."
- "One thing I could do to improve this area is..."
Activity 4: Patterns and Connections (15 minutes)
Small Group Discussion & Whole-Class Synthesis
8 min small groups + 7 min whole classSmall Group Sharing (8 minutes):
In groups of 3-4, students discuss (without sharing specific ratings):
Discussion Questions:
- Which dimension was easiest to rate? Hardest? Why?
- Were you surprised by any of your reflections?
- Have you ever experienced one weak dimension affecting others? (e.g., not sleeping well affects mood)
- Why do you think all four dimensions matter for overall health?
Whole-Class Discussion (7 minutes):
Facilitate discussion with guiding questions. Record key insights on board:
Questions to explore:
- "What makes taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing) different from the others?"
- "Can you be physically healthy but still unwell in other ways? Examples?"
- "How might strengthening one dimension help the others?"
- "Why might teenagers struggle more with certain dimensions?"
- "How is this different from Western medicine that focuses mainly on physical health?"
Student Insights to Highlight:
- "When I'm stressed (hinengaro), I don't sleep well (tinana)"
- "Being with friends (whānau) makes me happier (hinengaro)"
- "Knowing what I value (wairua) helps me make better decisions"
- "Physical exercise (tinana) actually reduces my anxiety (hinengaro)"
Whakamutunga - Reflection & Closure (5 minutes)
Physical Recap with Gestures (2 minutes):
Review the four dimensions using hand gestures - students do with you:
- Point to body → Taha Tinana
- Point to head → Taha Hinengaro
- Point to others → Taha Whānau
- Hand over heart → Taha Wairua
Exit Ticket (2 minutes):
Students complete ONE of these sentence stems in their notebooks:
- "One dimension I want to strengthen is... because..."
- "The most important thing I learned today is..."
- "Te Whare Tapa Whā matters because..."
Preview Next Lesson (1 minute):
"Over the next 6 weeks, we'll dive deep into each dimension, learning practical strategies to strengthen all four walls of your whare. Tomorrow we start with Taha Tinana - physical wellbeing."
🏠 Homework / Extension
Option 1: Personal Reflection (20 minutes)
Choose one dimension where you rated yourself lower. Write 1-2 paragraphs exploring:
- Why do you think this area is currently weaker?
- What specific challenges are affecting this dimension?
- What's one small, realistic action you could take this week to strengthen it?
Option 2: Interview a Kaumātua or Elder (30+ minutes)
Interview an older family member about their perspective on wellbeing:
- What does hauora/wellbeing mean to them?
- What practices from their culture support health and wellbeing?
- What advice would they give young people about staying well?
Write a brief summary of what you learned.
Option 3: Research Extension (30 minutes)
Research Sir Mason Durie and Te Whare Tapa Whā:
- When and why was this model developed?
- How has it been used in healthcare and education in Aotearoa?
- What other Māori health models exist?
Create a 1-page summary with sources cited.
📚 Resources & Materials
Required Materials:
- Whiteboard/chart paper for drawing whare
- Te Whare Tapa Whā Self-Assessment handout (one per student)
- Student notebooks or reflection journals
- Markers for board work
Optional Enhancement:
- Large printed Te Whare Tapa Whā poster
- Colored markers for students to visualize their whare
- Images of traditional Māori meeting houses
- Video: "Introduction to Te Whare Tapa Whā"