Cultural Blog — Te Whare Tapa Whā

The Big Idea

Te Whare Tapa Whā is a Māori model of holistic wellbeing developed by Tā Mason Durie in 1984. It describes health as a wharenui (meeting house) with four walls and a foundation — each dimension of wellbeing must be strong for the whole structure to stand. This task asks you to apply the model to your own life and add it to your learning plan.

Your Roadmap

Section	Time	Required?
The model	30 min	⚑ Required
Why we use it at Dev Academy	5 min	⚑ Required
Your wellbeing plan	60 min	⚑ Required
Extra Resources	—	◎ Optional

The model

A diagram of a wharenui with 5 labels: Taha wairua (Spiritual), Taha tinana (Physical), Taha hinengaro (Mental & Emotional), Taha whānau (Family & Social), Whenua (Land, roots) — **Figure 1:** Te Whare Tapa Whā

Show the four dimensions and the foundation

Taha Tinana — Physical wellbeing

Taha tinana is how your body grows, feels, and moves, and how you care for it. Nourishing your physical wellbeing helps you cope with the ups and downs of intensive learning. Key areas include physical activity, food, and sleep.

Taha Hinengaro — Mental and emotional wellbeing

Taha hinengaro is your mind, heart, thoughts, and feelings — how you communicate and process experience. Taking care of taha hinengaro matters for everyone, regardless of whether you have experienced mental illness or distress.

Taha Wairua — Spiritual wellbeing

Taha wairua can mean different things to different people. For some it is religious belief. For others it is an internal sense of connection and meaning. There is no right or wrong way to experience it. Spiritual wellbeing provides purpose, identity, and a sense of connection to something larger than yourself.

Taha whānau is about who you belong to, who you care for, and who cares for you. Whānau is broader than immediate family — it includes friends, colleagues, and community. Everyone has a place and a role within their whānau, and that connection is a core source of strength.

Whenua — Land and roots

Whenua is the foundation beneath the four walls. For Māori, connection to land is central to identity and health. Connection to nature and the environment has been shown to improve both mental and physical wellbeing.

Why we use it at Dev Academy

Dev Academy has a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is working to honour its principles in how we teach. We are in Aotearoa, and drawing on a wellbeing model grounded in Te Ao Māori makes sense here.

We also teach the whole person — not just technical skills. The holistic view of Te Whare Tapa Whā aligns with that.

Your wellbeing plan

Create a file named te-whare-tapa-wha.html and add it to your blog.

For a reminder on how to do this, see Blog Instructions.

In your file, create a wellbeing plan using the five dimensions. Some activities support more than one wall — include them in as many places as they fit.

Use this table as your starting point:

Dimension	Your activities
Taha Tinana (Physical)	e.g. going for a swim before class twice a week
Taha Whānau (Family and Social)	e.g. having dinner with whānau every evening
Taha Hinengaro (Mental and Emotional)	e.g. listening to a guided meditation before sleep
Taha Wairua (Spiritual)	e.g. making time to express gratitude each day
Whenua (Land and Environment)	e.g. walking outside barefoot once a week