Best for
Years 7-11 health, hauora, pastoral care, whānau class, and unit openings where students need a clear shared model before deeper reflection begins.
Health / Hauora • Years 7-11 • Ready to use tomorrow
Te Whare Tapa Whā Wellbeing Model
Introduce ākonga to Te Whare Tapa Whā as a practical model of hauora so they can describe the four walls, connect them to everyday life, and complete a strengths-based wellbeing check-in without being pushed into unsafe disclosure.
Free handout, premium localisation path
This page is ready to print and teach as-is. The premium workflow becomes useful when you want a junior version, school-specific wellbeing examples, bilingual prompting, or a private pastoral check-in version for your own context.
- Generate lower-reading-level or senior-secondary variants.
- Swap in your school values, house system, or local tikanga language.
- Save the adapted version to Creation Studio or My Kete for reuse.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 20-35 minutes for teaching and reflection, or longer if paired with discussion and action planning.
- Grouping: Whole-class explanation first, then pairs or individual completion.
- Prep: Decide whether students will reflect on themselves, a fictional student, or a class-created scenario.
- Teaching move: Keep this strengths-based and relational. Te Whare Tapa Whā is a wellbeing framework, not a diagnosis tool.
Resources already provided
- Four-wall definitions in student-friendly language
- Everyday examples that connect school, whānau, and community life
- A wellbeing check-in scaffold
- One-step action planning prompt
- Support and reflection questions
- Curriculum companion for planning and reporting
If the teaching sequence asks students to define the four walls, identify supports, or choose a small next step, the essential scaffold is already here.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning to describe Te Whare Tapa Whā as a model of hauora and balance.
- We are learning to connect taha tinana, hinengaro, wairua, and whānau to everyday life.
- We are learning to identify one small action or support that can strengthen wellbeing.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can name and explain the four walls of Te Whare Tapa Whā.
- I can give practical examples of what strengthens each wall.
- I can complete a simple hauora check-in and choose one realistic next step.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
This handout works best when the hauora, identity, and self-management links are explicit. Use the curriculum companion to anchor planning, moderation, and reporting around holistic wellbeing and culturally grounded health learning.
Use the framework with respect
Te Whare Tapa Whā, developed by Sir Mason Durie, is a living Māori model of wellbeing. It should be taught as a genuine framework for understanding balance and interconnection, not as a decorative add-on to a generic health lesson.
Kaiako can invite students from all backgrounds to connect the model to their own lives while still naming its Māori origin and kaupapa clearly.
The four walls at a glance
Taha Tinana
Physical wellbeing
How we care for our body through sleep, movement, kai, rest, safety, and daily routines.
Taha Hinengaro
Mental and emotional wellbeing
How we think, feel, express emotions, solve problems, and notice what affects our inner balance.
Taha Wairua
Spiritual wellbeing
Connection to values, identity, faith, meaning, culture, whenua, and the things that help life feel grounded and purposeful.
Taha Whānau
Social wellbeing
Our relationships with whānau, friends, teammates, and community, and the ways we give and receive support.
What helps each wall stay strong?
| Wall | Examples of support | My class, school, or life examples |
|---|---|---|
| Taha Tinana | sleep, movement, kai, water, rest, body safety, medical care | |
| Taha Hinengaro | naming feelings, taking breaks, breathing, support people, reflection, healthy habits | |
| Taha Wairua | values, karakia or reflection, culture, creativity, time in nature, belonging, purpose | |
| Taha Whānau | trusted people, teamwork, kindness, communication, shared routines, community support |
My hauora check-in
A wall that feels strong right now
A wall I want to strengthen
What helps me feel more balanced
Who or what could tautoko me
Plan one small action
-
1
Choose one wall Pick the wall you want to strengthen first. You do not need to fix everything at once.
-
2
Name one realistic action My next small step is:
-
3
Make support visible A person, place, or routine that could help me follow through is:
Safe reflection options
Personal reflection
Use your own life as the example if that feels comfortable and safe.
Fictional student
Complete the check-in for a made-up student if you would rather keep the task private.
Class scenario
Apply the model to a shared scenario about school, sport, or friendship instead of your own story.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Health and Physical Education — Hauora
Level 3–4: Identify and develop strategies to maintain and enhance hauora across the four dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā; understand how relationships, identity, and cultural connections shape wellbeing.
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Understand how social and cultural factors affect health equity; recognise the impact of community, whānau, and cultural identity on individual and collective wellbeing.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
Te Whare Tapa Whā reminds us that wellbeing is not a single dimension but a balance across taha tinana (physical), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional), taha wairua (spiritual), and taha whānau (family and social). Māori frameworks for health do not separate the individual from their relationships, their culture, or their place in the world. This means that supporting student wellbeing in an Aotearoa classroom means supporting the whole person — including their cultural identity, their connection to whānau, and the practices and places that nourish their wairua. Health education that ignores culture misses the most powerful determinants of wellbeing for many students in our classrooms.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.