Te Whare Tapa Wha

Te Whare Tapa Wha

For the past weeks, we have been learning more about our Hauora( Well-being). 

Taha Whanau( Social Wellbeing), Taha Tinana( physical well being),

Taha Hinengaro(Mental/Thoughts well being) and Taha Wairua( spiritual well being). 

These are the 4 dimensions of Hauora. 

Each dimension is really important. They all have different aspects and meanings but together they are one. With one wall collapsed, your whare becomes unbalanced. But using the other walls will support and recover the other wall.

We’ll start off with Taha whanau which represents your social wellbeing. An easy way to remember this is by family. Think of the things that you do with your family, friends, etc that makes you happy.  For example, my family and I get along by cooking. We don’t just love our dad’s homemade cooking but I enjoy getting to cook with my dad! Even the smallest things you love to do with your friends and family can make a positive impact with your Taha Whanau.

Next, we have Taha Tinana. This well-being symbolizes your Physical Well-Being. Taking care of your body is very important. Not paying attention to your body, you can lack health and hygiene. For example, I usually walk with my mum to the basin. Another example is by taking showers you can kill away those germs. Remember these are just examples that I've come up but there are so many.  By being aware of the things you eat and how to improve on your hygiene, can help build your Taha Tinana. 

The third dimension is Taha Hinengaro. This influences the way you think and feel. The way you feel and think affects the way you act. What I mean by this is when you are in a lot of stress, you seem to struggle to focus and you are just overwhelmed with so many feelings. In my opinion, this is an issue that youth seem to struggle with. As you grow up, there are going to be changes that may surprise you in a good way or a negative. These are the types of challenges that we go through. But along those challenges, we can overcome it and able to learn from it.  

Lastly, we have Taha Wairua. This is also known as your Spiritual well being. As I look at the word spiritual God and church first comes to my mind. But as we looked more into it, I’ve learned that it doesn’t only talk about religions, most importantly your personal identity. Your self-esteem, the things that you value, sense of achievement, etc these are all the things that affect this well being. For example, I get a sense of achievement and am proud of is getting this opportunity to be part of the Akomanga Kaihanga along with these intelligent students.

Overall, my well-being is healthy and balanced.