Hauora: Taha Whanau

Taha Whanau

What is Taha Whanau?

Taha Whanau is the fourth dimension of the Maori philosophy Hauora. In English, it translates to: Social Wellbeing. It involves the social relationships between you and your whanau, friends, and classmates. 

What can I do to have a balanced Taha Whanau?

For an individual to have a balanced Taha Whanau, they must have good relationships between their friends, family (whanau) teachers, and classmates. A person with a bad relationship with their brothers and sisters - i.e fighting, bullying, not communicating, would not have a balanced Taha Tinana. It is the same for your peers and teachers at school, and friends. A person with a a balanced Taha Whanau would be social and talk to new people, and not be isolated in their room, not talking to anyone. However, a social person can have bad relationships with people, therefore having an unbalanced Taha Whanau. 

How is having a balanced Taha Whanau demonstrated in real life?

We all work together in groups, everyday of the week. Having a bad relationship with your teacher, such as disliking one another, may lead to decreased grades at school, as you would be communicating, listening, and learning less. It may be the same with your friends and whanau, as bad relationships can distract you from concentrating on your work. A person with a balanced Taha Whanau would work well in groups, with teachers, and be confident and focused at school, or in the workplace. 

This is my digital learning object I created on Google Drawing demonstrating the importance of having a balanced Taha Whanau. On the left, you can see a pair of sisters fighting and obviously upset with one another. These girls have an unbalanced Taha Whanau because they have a bad relationship. On the right, however, the pair of sisters are happy and smiling, signalling a good relationship with one another. These girls have a balanced Taha Whanau, as they have a good relationship with one another.