Te Whare Tapa Whā is a Māori model of health and wellbeing. It is a metaphor based on four pillars of a whare/house. The essence of these concepts is to keep each other well including those from afar too. Checking in on the four pillars helps us balance our wellbeing and support others to balance theirs. Below are some examples for supporting you and your whānau. You may have others that work for you.
Keep your mind active with things like learning karakia/prayer, waiata/music or mau rākau/Māori weaponry. Try reading some pūrākau/stories or whakapapa about your ancestors or the days of old. Tune in to some of the online wānanga/workshops available such as learning te reo Māori. The Mental Health Foundation has more tips to support your mental wellbeing here.
Find ways to keep your spirits high. Listen to uplifting waiata/music, attend online karakia sessions, soak up the rays of the sun or listen to native manu/birds like tui or ruru.
Staying physically well is important. Try walking or practising mau taiaha/Māori weaponry or even kapa haka.
Keeping in touch is so important. Send aroha from afar by holding regular online or phone catch ups with your whānau and kaumatua. Now we can expand our mirumiru/bubble you may be able to connect more with whānau and friends kanohi ki te kanohi/face-to-face. Just remember to stick to the current guidelines about gatherings.
Make sure your mirumiru/bubble makes time to talk about how to keep each other safe. Even though some of the past restrictions are being lifted it is still good to set down tikanga about how you will work in these trying times.
