About Te Whare Tapa Whā
Te Whare Tapa Whā is a model for understanding Māori health developed by Tā Mason Durie.
Te Whare Tapa Whā uses the wharenui (meeting house) as a symbol for the 4 cornerstones of Māori health. With its strong foundations and 4 equal sides, the wharenui illustrates the 4 dimensions of Māori wellbeing.
If one of the 4 dimensions is missing or damaged in some way, a person or collective may become ‘unbalanced’ and subsequently unwell.
For many Māori, modern health services lack recognition of taha wairua (spiritual health). In a traditional Māori approach, wairua (the spirit), whānau (family) and the balance of hinengaro (the mind) are as important as physical manifestations of illness.
Taha tinana (physical health)
Taha tinana is the capacity for physical growth and development.
Good physical health is required for optimal development.
Our physical ‘being’ supports our essence and shelters us from the external environment.
For Māori, the physical dimension is just one aspect of health and wellbeing. It cannot be separated from mind, spirit and family.
Taha wairua (spiritual health)
Taha wairua is the capacity for faith and wider communication.
Health is related to unseen and unspoken energies.
The spiritual essence of a person is their life force. This determines us as individuals and as a collective, who and what we are, where we have come from and where we are going.
A traditional Māori analysis of physical manifestations of illness will focus on wairua, to determine whether damage here could be a contributing factor.
Taha whānau (family health)
Taha whānau is the capacity to belong, care and share where individuals are part of wider social systems.
Whānau provides us with the strength to be who we are. This is the link to our ancestors, our ties with the past, present and future.
Understanding the importance of whānau and how whānau can contribute to illness and assist in curing illness is fundamental to understanding Māori health issues.
Taha hinengaro (mental health)
Taha hinengaro is the capacity to communicate, to think and to feel mind and body are inseparable.
Thoughts, feelings and emotions are integral components of the body and soul.
This is about how we see ourselves in this universe, our interaction with that which is uniquely Māori and the perception others have of us.
