Te whare tapa whā model

A model of health which holistically explores Māori health. A wharenui (house) represents this model with its four-sided dimension representing four core beliefs of health.

Te Taha Wairua

Spiritual health

Wairua reflects connections with the environment, people, and heritage. A breakdown with any of these relationships could reflect a lack of personal identity.

Spiritual health is the most important element of health and is often the most overlooked.

Te Taha Whanau

Family health

Provides physical, cultural, and emotional care.

Whanau for Māori means extended relationships and maintaining these relationships is an important component to health.

Whanau contributes to identity and wellbeing. It provides strentgh.

Whanau for māori is based on an ancestral waka (canoe), a physical landmark, a maunga (mountain), a body of awa (river), and tapuna (ancestor). Staying connected protects one from stress and distress.

An individual who has an absent spiritual awareness may reflect a lack of wellbeing and may also be more prone to illness.

Caring for the young and the old is essential to whanau health.

Te Taha Tinana

Certain areas of the body are seen as tapu (sacred). Touching these sacret areas can be seen as unhealthy to that individual.

Physical health

Good wellbeing is seen as good physical health

Optimal health allows individuals to attend to every day life

When a persons physical health isn't optimal it can negatively impact their mental health and wellbeing

Contributes to sense of knowing ones' own identity. Strong spiritual health reflects an individual being content with who they are as a person.

Whanau provides a backbone of support.

Te Taha Hinegaro

Mental health

Thoughts, feelings, and emotions have a role in mental health

The ability to communicate, think, and feel. Mind, body, and soul.

A strong capacity of mental health equips people with resilience to take on life.

Communication through emotions is just as important as communication through words.

The capacity for physical growth and development

The capacity for faith and wider connection

Spiritual health links to unseen and unspoken energies

The sense of belonging and to care and share.

Holistic approach

Holistic nursing is healing oriented and centered on the relationship with the person. It is defined as healing the person as a whole.

The caring-healing relationship.

Holistic nursing practice process:

  • Assessing
  • Diagnosing or identifying patterns, challenges, needs, and health issues
  • Identifying outcomes
  • Planning care
  • Implementing the plan to care
  • Evaluating

Heals the mind body and soul.

Assisting patients with the effects of an illness on the body, mind, spirituality, religion, and personal relationships.