📖 Unit Overview
This 6-week unit provides a comprehensive exploration of holistic wellbeing through the lens of Te Whare Tapa Whā, Sir Mason Durie's foundational Māori health model. Rather than treating health as merely the absence of disease, students learn to understand wellbeing as the balance of four interconnected dimensions: taha tinana (physical), taha hinengaro (mental/emotional), taha whānau (social/family), and taha wairua (spiritual).
The unit takes an explicitly anti-oppressive approach, rejecting diet culture, body shaming, and one-size-fits-all health prescriptions in favor of culturally-responsive, evidence-based health education that honors diverse bodies, experiences, and cultural practices.
🌟 Why This Unit Matters (2025 Context): New Zealand teenagers face unprecedented wellbeing challenges: rising rates of anxiety and depression, sleep deprivation epidemics, sedentary lifestyles, and social media impacts on mental health and body image. This unit equips students with practical knowledge and culturally-grounded frameworks to navigate these challenges, make informed health decisions, and build sustainable wellbeing practices that honor both contemporary science and mātauranga Māori.
📅 Unit Structure (6 Weeks)
Week 1: Taha Tinana (Physical)
5 Lessons:
- Introduction to Te Whare Tapa Whā ✅
- Physical Wellbeing & Body Systems ✅
- Nutrition & Kai Māori ✅
- Movement & Exercise ✅
- Sleep, Rest & Recovery ✅
✨ WEEK 1 COMPLETE!
Week 2: Taha Hinengaro (Mental / Emotional)
5 Lessons:
- Understanding Emotions & Mental Health ✅
- Stress, Anxiety & Coping Strategies ✅
- Mindfulness & Emotional Regulation ✅
- Depression Awareness & Help-Seeking ✅
- Building Resilience & Growth Mindset ✅
💜 Week 2 complete – Hinengaro toolkit, safety pathways, and resilience plans ready to use.
Week 3: Taha Whānau (Social/Family)
5 Lessons (coming soon):
- Healthy Relationships & Communication
- Family Dynamics & Support Systems
- Friendship Skills & Peer Pressure
- Consent, Boundaries & Respect
- Digital Relationships & Social Media
Week 4: Taha Wairua (Spiritual)
5 Lessons (coming soon):
- Cultural Identity & Belonging
- Values, Purpose & Meaning
- Connection to Nature & Environment
- Creativity, Art & Self-Expression
- Spiritual Practices & Mindfulness
Week 5: Integration & Balance
5 Lessons (coming soon):
- Holistic Wellbeing Assessment
- Creating Personal Wellbeing Plans
- When Balance is Lost: Crisis Support
- Supporting Others' Wellbeing
- Wellbeing Across the Lifespan
Week 6: Advocacy & Action
5 Lessons (coming soon):
- Social Determinants of Health
- Health Equity & Justice
- Mental Health Stigma & Advocacy
- Creating Healthy Communities
- Wellbeing Action Projects
📋 NZ Curriculum Alignment (Te Mātaiaho 2025)
This unit addresses achievement objectives across Health & Physical Education and connects to Science and Social Studies strands.
Health & Physical Education / Hauora
Students will identify and address factors that influence wellbeing, growth, and development, taking increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing.
Students will understand how and why movement is important for health and wellbeing.
Students will understand how to establish and maintain supportive relationships with diverse people.
Students will understand how to take action to promote and protect the wellbeing of communities and environments.
Science / Pūtaiao
Students will understand how the body systems work together to maintain health.
Key Competencies / Ngā Pūkenga Matua
🤔 Thinking
Students analyze wellbeing holistically, identify connections between health dimensions, and make evidence-based health decisions.
🔍 Managing Self
Developing self-awareness, setting personal health goals, building sustainable wellbeing practices, and accessing support when needed.
🤝 Relating to Others
Building healthy relationships, communicating effectively, setting boundaries, and supporting peers' wellbeing.
🌱 Participating & Contributing
Advocating for health equity, challenging stigma, and taking action to create healthier communities.
🎓 Pedagogical Approach
Culturally-Grounded Framework
Te Whare Tapa Whā (Sir Mason Durie, 1985) provides the structural foundation for the entire unit. Rather than treating Māori health models as "add-ons," this framework centers indigenous knowledge as the primary lens through which students understand wellbeing. This aligns with Te Mātaiaho 2025's commitment to mātauranga Māori as foundational to all learning.
Anti-Oppressive Health Education
The unit explicitly rejects diet culture, body shaming, ableism, and one-size-fits-all health prescriptions. Nutrition education focuses on nourishment not restriction. Movement education celebrates all bodies and abilities. Mental health content challenges stigma. This approach recognizes that oppressive health messaging harms students and creates judgment-free spaces for learning.
Student Agency & Choice
Rather than prescribing "correct" health behaviors, the unit empowers students with knowledge and frameworks to make informed decisions that work for THEIR lives, bodies, families, and cultures. Students identify personal barriers, generate realistic solutions, and create individualized wellbeing plans.
Evidence-Based & Current (2025)
Content reflects contemporary health science including sleep research specific to teenage circadian rhythms, nutrition science free from fad diets, and mental health understanding aligned with DSM-5 and Te Whare Tapa Whā. Addresses 2025 realities: social media impacts, sleep deprivation epidemics, pandemic mental health effects.
Practical & Actionable
Every lesson includes concrete, doable strategies students can implement immediately. Goal-setting is SMART and realistic. Activities are hands-on and experiential. Students leave with skills, not just knowledge.
✅ Assessment Overview
Formative Assessment (Throughout Unit)
- Week 1: Wellbeing self-assessments, physical health goal tracking, food/movement/sleep journals
- Week 2: Emotional check-ins, coping strategy effectiveness, resilience skill development
- Week 3: Relationship quality reflection, communication skill practice, boundary-setting scenarios
- Week 4: Cultural identity exploration, values clarification, purpose statements
- Week 5: Holistic wellbeing assessment, personal plan quality, peer feedback
- Week 6: Action project planning, advocacy skill development, community impact
Summative Assessment Options
🎯 Holistic Wellbeing Portfolio (Recommended):
Students create a comprehensive portfolio documenting their learning and growth across all four pillars of Te Whare Tapa Whā. Portfolio includes:
- Before/after wellbeing self-assessments with reflection on growth
- Evidence from each week (journals, goal trackers, completed activities)
- Personal wellbeing plan for sustainable health practices
- Reflection essay connecting unit learning to real life
- Action project or advocacy work for community wellbeing
Alternative Assessment Options:
- Wellbeing Multimedia Project: Create video, podcast, or visual campaign promoting holistic health
- Research Investigation: Deep dive into one health topic with Māori health perspective
- Community Health Action Project: Design and implement initiative to improve wellbeing in school/community
⚠️ Important Pastoral Care Considerations
This unit covers sensitive topics including mental health, relationships, and potentially triggering health content. Teachers should:
- Establish safety protocols: Clear processes for students to access support if distressed
- Know your resources: Have crisis helpline numbers visible (1737, Lifeline, Youthline)
- Watch for concerning patterns: Disordered eating, self-harm references, extreme distress - follow school protocols
- Respect privacy: Don't require public sharing of personal health information
- Be trauma-informed: Recognize students may have complex health/family situations
- Create opt-outs: Allow alternative assignments if content is too sensitive for individual students
- Mandatory reporting: Follow legal obligations if abuse/safety concerns emerge