Te Whare Tapa WhÄ ā Personal Wellbeing Self-Assessment
He Aromatawai Hauora Whaiaro Ā· Reflecting on balance across the four pou Ā· Years 7ā10
NgÄ WhÄinga Akoranga Ā· Learning Intentions
- Understand the four pou of Te Whare Tapa WhÄ and what each dimension encompasses in real life.
- Honestly assess current wellbeing across all four dimensions using reflective prompts and a rating scale.
- Identify which pou needs the most attention right now and why.
- Set one specific, realistic intention for strengthening a pou over the coming weeks.
Paearu Angitu Ā· Success Criteria
- Assessment addresses all four pou with honest, specific reflection ā not just 1ā2 words per section.
- Students can explain how two pou are interconnected using a personal example.
- At least one pou receives a specific, realistic strengthening intention (not vague goals like "be healthier").
- Students can connect Te Whare Tapa WhÄ to their own cultural or community context.
Ko Te Whare Tapa WhÄ Ā· About the Framework
Te Whare Tapa WhÄ was developed by Sir Mason Durie in 1984. The image of the whare (house) is deliberate: just as a house needs four strong walls to stand, a person needs strength across all four dimensions of hauora. If one wall is weakened, the whole structure is at risk.
Physical health and growth
Mental and emotional wellbeing
Social wellbeing and relationships
Spiritual wellbeing and purpose
Taha Tinana Ā· Physical Wellbeing
Reflect on your physical health: movement, sleep, kai, energy, growth.
1. What physical activities support my wellbeing right now?
2. What does my sleep / kai / energy look like this week?
3. What is one thing my tinana needs more of right now?
Rating (circle one): 1 2 3 4 5 (1 = needs a lot of care Ā· 5 = feeling strong)
Evidence for my rating:
Taha Hinengaro Ā· Mental & Emotional Wellbeing
Reflect on your mental and emotional health: mood, self-talk, coping, expression.
1. How would I describe my mood across the past week?
2. How well am I managing challenging thoughts or feelings?
3. What supports my hinengaro most? (e.g. exercise, journalling, music, talk)
Rating (circle one): 1 2 3 4 5
Evidence for my rating:
Taha WhÄnau Ā· Social Wellbeing
Reflect on your relationships and sense of belonging: whÄnau, friends, community.
1. Who are the people who make me feel safe and connected?
2. How connected have I been to my whÄnau / friends this week?
3. Is there a relationship I need to give more attention to?
Rating (circle one): 1 2 3 4 5
Evidence for my rating:
Taha Wairua Ā· Spiritual Wellbeing
Reflect on your sense of purpose, meaning, culture, and connection to something beyond yourself.
1. What gives my life meaning and sense of purpose right now?
2. How connected do I feel to my culture, faith, or community values?
3. When do I feel most like myself? What activities or places connect me to that?
Rating (circle one): 1 2 3 4 5
Evidence for my rating:
He Hononga Pou Ā· Pou Interconnection Reflection
The pou are never separate ā they affect each other. Give one example from your own life where one pou being low affected another pou.
When my is low, I notice it affects my because:
Hononga Marautanga Ā· Curriculum Alignment
Te Whare Tapa WhÄ as a core framework for understanding holistic wellbeing; personal health and physical development; self-management and reflection as hauora competencies.
Understanding how cultural frameworks shape approaches to health and wellbeing; identity and belonging; recognising MÄori models of health as valid and evidence-based.
Tuhia Åu whakaaro Ā· My Strengthening Intention
Choose the pou that needs the most attention right now. Write one specific, realistic intention ā not a vague goal, but something you can actually do in the next two weeks.
The pou I will focus on:
My specific intention (what, when, how often):
Aronga MÄtauranga MÄori
Te Whare Tapa WhÄ was developed by Sir Mason Durie in 1984 as an explicit challenge to biomedical models that reduce health to physical wellbeing. The image of the whare (house) is deliberate: just as a house needs four strong walls to stand, a person needs strength across all four pou. If one wall is weakened, the whole structure is at risk. This framework is not merely a metaphor ā it is a lived understanding that the MÄori communities Durie worked with had long held, and that research in holistic health continues to validate. Using it in school is an act of recognition: MÄori knowledge built this model, and all students deserve to learn about wellbeing through it.
NgÄ Rauemi Tautoko Ā· Resources already provided
- hauora-action-plan-template-unit8.html ā turning your strengthening intention into a concrete action plan
- unit-8-hinengaro-journal.html ā deepening the taha hinengaro reflection
- unit-8-regulation-plan.html ā practical strategies for managing what you identify here
- unit-8-whanau-conversation-card.html ā sharing your assessment with whÄnau
š Teacher Planning Snapshot
NgÄ WhÄinga Ako ā Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this hauora resource to build holistic wellbeing knowledge, connecting te ao MÄori perspectives on hauora with personal, social, and environmental dimensions of health.
NgÄ Paearu AngitÅ« ā Success Criteria
- ā Students can explain key hauora concepts using their own words and personal examples.
- ā Students can connect te ao MÄori frameworks (e.g. Te Whare Tapa WhÄ) to real wellbeing contexts.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters, graphic organisers, and entry-level tasks to scaffold access. Offer extension challenges for capable learners to address a range of readiness levels.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary (hauora, wairua, tinana, hinengaro, whÄnau). Allow students to draw or respond in their home language as a first step.
Inclusion: Hauora topics can be sensitive ā create a safe learning environment. Neurodiverse learners benefit from choice in how they demonstrate wellbeing understanding. Use accessible, non-threatening language.