Te Whare Tapa Whā
Holistic Wellness Assessment · Developed by Sir Mason Durie
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- Understand Te Whare Tapa Whā as a holistic model of hauora developed by Sir Mason Durie
- Identify the four dimensions of wellbeing — taha tinana, hinengaro, whānau, and wairua
- Assess your own hauora honestly across all four dimensions
- Identify connections between dimensions and develop a personal wellbeing action plan
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can explain each of the four dimensions in my own words with examples
- I can rate and justify my current hauora across all four walls of Te Whare Tapa Whā
- I can identify which dimension needs the most attention in my life right now
- I can write two realistic steps I will take to strengthen that dimension
🏠 Ko te Whare, ko tāu hauora — The House Is Your Wellbeing
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 becomes unstable. True hauora means all four walls are strong — at the same time.
💪 Taha Tinana
Physical
🧠 Taha Hinengaro
Mental/Emotional
👨👩👧 Taha Whānau
Social/Family
✨ Taha Wairua
Spiritual
📺 Hear from the Creator: Sir Mason Durie
"The significance of Te Whare Tapa Whā" — Ministry of Health NZ. As you watch, notice how Sir Mason explains why ALL four dimensions must be strong for genuine wellbeing.
📖 Understanding the Four Dimensions
💪 Taha Tinana — Physical Wellbeing
Includes: physical fitness, nutrition, sleep, energy levels, absence of illness
In your own words, what is taha tinana?
My current taha tinana rating (circle): 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5
Evidence / reason:
🧠 Taha Hinengaro — Mental/Emotional Wellbeing
Includes: thoughts, feelings, emotions, stress management, mental clarity, resilience
In your own words, what is taha hinengaro?
My current taha hinengaro rating (circle): 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5
Evidence / reason:
👨👩👧 Taha Whānau — Social/Family Wellbeing
Includes: relationships, belonging, support networks, community connection, whānau roles
In your own words, what is taha whānau?
My current taha whānau rating (circle): 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5
Evidence / reason:
✨ Taha Wairua — Spiritual Wellbeing
Includes: sense of purpose, values, connection to culture and whenua, meaning in life
In your own words, what is taha wairua?
My current taha wairua rating (circle): 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5
Evidence / reason:
🔗 Connections Between Dimensions
In Te Whare Tapa Whā, the four walls support each other. A weak taha tinana often affects taha hinengaro; isolation affects taha wairua. Describe one connection you notice in your own life:
My Wellbeing Action Plan
Which dimension needs the most attention?
Step 1 I will take this week:
Step 2 I will take this month:
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
After completing this assessment, what do you understand about hauora that you didn't before? What question do you still have?
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Level 4–5: Understand hauora as a multi-dimensional concept; analyse personal and environmental factors that affect health and wellbeing across the lifespan; develop and implement strategies to enhance personal wellbeing.
Level 4–5: Understand how indigenous models of health and wellbeing reflect cultural values and knowledge systems; recognise the contribution of Māori frameworks to Aotearoa's approach to health policy and practice.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
Te Whare Tapa Whā is not simply a health model — it is a statement about what it means to be fully human in te ao Māori. Sir Mason Durie drew on deep cultural understanding when he named the four walls: taha wairua places spiritual connection at the centre of wellbeing in a way that has no equivalent in Western biomedical models, which often treat the body as separate from mind, community, and spirit. The whare metaphor itself is significant — a house requires all four walls to stand, and no single dimension can compensate for the collapse of another. This framework has transformed health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand not by replacing Western medicine but by insisting that hauora must be understood as relational, holistic, and culturally grounded. When students assess their own hauora through this lens, they are practicing mātauranga Māori as a living system of understanding, not as a historical artefact.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
- Te Whare Tapa Whā Assessment Unit 8 (te-whare-tapa-wha-assessment-unit8.html) — extended self-assessment with goal-setting
- Emotional Literacy Wheel Unit 8 (emotional-literacy-wheel-unit8.html) — vocabulary for taha hinengaro
- Stress Management Toolkit Unit 8 (stress-management-toolkit-unit8.html) — practical strategies for hauora
- Unit 8 Sleep Diary (unit-8-sleep-diary.html) — track taha tinana through sleep patterns
- Community Wellbeing Project Planner Unit 8 (community-wellbeing-project-planner-unit8.html) — apply hauora thinking to your community
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this hauora resource to build holistic wellbeing knowledge, connecting te ao Māori perspectives on hauora with personal, social, and environmental dimensions of health.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain key hauora concepts using their own words and personal examples.
- ✅ Students can connect te ao Māori frameworks (e.g. Te Whare Tapa Whā) 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, whānau). Allow students to draw or respond in their home language as a first step.
Inclusion: Hauora topics can be sensitive — create a safe learning environment. Neurodiverse learners benefit from choice in how they demonstrate wellbeing understanding. Use accessible, non-threatening language.