Toro Mai - Hauora - Health

What does Hauora mean?

Hauora conveys wellness and vitality from a Māori worldview and describes a way of understanding the holistic nature of wellbeing. Hauora encompasses all of ourselves, our relationships with whānau, hapū and iwi, and our physical environment.

Mana and Mauri

You nourish Hauora with deliberate actions to enhance an individual's mana and mauri. By recognising and supporting each dimension of Te Whare Tapa Whā can help support Hauora.  The wharenui offers a useful analogy to understand Hauora. Sir Mason Durie developed te Whare Tapa Whā in 1983 to understand the interrelated and holistic nature of Hauora. Each taha (side) of the whare represents one of the four cornerstones of Hauora:

The dimensions are
Hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing)
Whānau (social and relational wellbeing)
Tinana (physical wellbeing)
Wairua (spiritual wellbeing)

If one element is ignored or not attended to, Hauora can become compromised. All four cornerstones of Hauora are critical for wellbeing.

What areas stand out as being particularly strong or flourishing? 

I feel I am flourishing in these areas of Hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing), Whānau (social and relational wellbeing), Tinana (physical wellbeing).

Conversely, are there any particular areas that may be languishing or may require more attention? 

I think an area I need to develop more is Wairua (spiritual wellbeing). I am not sure about connecting with spirituality through a church or religion as some of the values and beliefs do not sit well with me. I may investigate this further in the future. I do like the concept of spirituality format Te Ao Maori word view and the connections to atua.

What strategy might help to strengthen those aspects of Hauora for you and your whānau?

To strengthen all the aspects of Hauora, it is about being present and allowing time to participate in each dimension.