The following holistic Māori health models can be used to articulate the underpinning principles of tikanga Māori within early childhood centres.
Nga Pou Mana Health Model
The Nga Pou Mana health model was introduced 1988 by the Royal Commission on Social Policy. This model was developed in the area of social policy rather than health. The four supports of this model were: whanaungatanga (family), taonga tuku iho (cultural heritage), te ao turoa (physical environment), and turangawaewae (land base). Durie (1998) however, believed that the inclusion of turangawaewae and te ao turoa may have reflected issues of this era in which some landmark decisions were made by the Waitangi Tribunal, including claims against the Crown relating to the pollution of tribal waterways.
Te Whare Tapa Wha Health Model
The Whare Tapa Wha model was developed by Durie in 1982, compared health to the four walls of a house: taha wairua (the spiritual side), taha hinengaro (thoughts and feelings), taha tinana (the physical side), and taha whanau (family).
Each dimension was necessary for the individual’s overall health and well-being.[1]
Te Wheke Health Model
‘Te Wheke’ (the octopus) is a model presented by Dr Rangimarie Turuki Rose Pere at the Hui Whakaoranga in 1984. Pere uses the symbol of the octopus, with each of the eight tentacles of the wheke representing a different health dimension. The components are wairuatanga (spirituality), hinengaro (mental health), tinana (physical) whanaungatanga (extended family across the universe), mana ake (the uniqueness of the individual and extended family), mauri (life-sustaining principle in people and objects), ha a Koro ma a Kui ma (cultural heritage), and whatumanawa (relating to emotions and senses). The body and head of the octopus represent the whole family unit, and the eyes are referred to as ‘waiora’, or total well-being of the individual and the family.[2]
[1] M. Durie. (1994). Whaiora: Māori Health Development. Pgs. 69-72.
[2] M. Durie. (1994). Whaiora: Māori Health Development. Pg 74.