![\"Health](\"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/Medwell_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/maori-health-model.jpg\")
The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. They have a proud vibrant culture, and an established model of health that is a part of their culture.<\/p>\nThe Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. They have a proud vibrant culture, and an established model of health that is a part of their culture.<\/p>\n
I’m looking forward to working with them, implementing solutions that help close care gaps and help erase the health inequities seen here.<\/p>\n
I love their health model because it revolves around the “Whanau” or family.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
With its strong foundations and four equal sides, the symbol of the\u00a0wharenui<\/span>\u00a0illustrates the four dimensions of\u00a0M\u0101ori<\/span>\u00a0well-being.<\/em><\/p>\n Should one of the four dimensions be missing or in some way damaged, a person, or a collective may become \u2018unbalanced\u2019 and subsequently unwell.<\/em><\/p>\n For many\u00a0M\u0101ori<\/span>\u00a0modern health services lack recognition of\u00a0taha wairua<\/span>\u00a0(the spiritual dimension). In a traditional\u00a0M\u0101ori<\/span>\u00a0approach, the inclusion of the\u00a0wairua<\/span>, the role of the\u00a0wh\u0101nau<\/span>\u00a0(family) and the balance of the\u00a0hinengaro<\/span>\u00a0(mind) are as important as the physical manifestations of illness.<\/em><\/p>\n The capacity for physical growth and development.<\/em><\/p>\n Good physical health is required for optimal development.<\/em><\/p>\n Our physical \u2018being\u2019 supports our essence and shelters us from the external environment. For\u00a0M\u0101ori<\/span>\u00a0the physical dimension is just one aspect of health and well-being and cannot be separated from the aspect of mind, spirit and family.<\/em><\/p>\n The capacity for faith and wider communication.<\/em><\/p>\n Health is related to unseen and unspoken energies.<\/em><\/p>\n The spiritual essence of a person is their life force. This determines us as individuals and as a collective, who and what we are, where we have come from and where we are going.<\/em><\/p>\n A traditional\u00a0M\u0101ori<\/span>\u00a0analysis of physical manifestations of illness will focus on the\u00a0wairua<\/span>\u00a0or spirit, to determine whether damage here could be a contributing factor.<\/em><\/p>\n The capacity to belong, to care and to share where individuals are part of wider social systems.<\/em><\/p>\n Wh\u0101nau<\/span>\u00a0provides us with the strength to be who we are. This is the link to our ancestors, our ties with the past, the present and the future.<\/em><\/p>\n Understanding the importance of\u00a0wh\u0101nau<\/span>\u00a0and how\u00a0wh\u0101nau<\/span>\u00a0(family) can contribute to illness and assist in curing illness is fundamental to understanding\u00a0M\u0101ori<\/span>\u00a0health issues.<\/em><\/p>\n The capacity to communicate, to think and to feel mind and body are inseparable.<\/em><\/p>\nTaha tinana<\/span>\u00a0(physical health)<\/em><\/h2>\n
Taha wairua<\/span>\u00a0(spiritual health)<\/em><\/h2>\n
Taha wh\u0101nau<\/span>\u00a0(family health)<\/em><\/h2>\n
Taha hinengaro<\/span>\u00a0(mental health)<\/em><\/h2>\n