Māori Models of Health

Māori models of health offer distinct frameworks for understanding wellbeing that differ fundamentally from biomedical models. These models are holistic, relational, and spiritually grounded, and their application in clinical practice improves the cultural safety and effectiveness of care for Māori patients and whānau.

Te Whare Tapa Whā, developed by Sir Mason Durie, is the most widely known Māori health model. It uses the metaphor of a whare (house) with four walls (tapa whā), each representing a dimension of health. The four dimensions are: taha tinana (physical health), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional health), taha wairua (spiritual health), and taha whānau (family and social health). Just as a house requires all four walls to stand, a person requires all four dimensions to be in balance to experience full health. Neglecting any one dimension weakens the whole.

Te Pae Māhutonga is a model of health promotion adapted from the celestial navigation concept of the Southern Cross. It integrates Māori values with contemporary public health approaches and acknowledges the importance of whakapapa (genealogy, identity) and te ao Māori (the Māori world) in health.

The Meihana Model (also called the Extended Whānau Ora model) was developed specifically for clinical use. It situates the patient within their whānau and wider social, cultural, and spiritual contexts, providing a framework for clinicians to understand Māori patients holistically. It incorporates Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and addresses the social determinants of health from a Māori perspective.

Other models include Māori health frameworks that centre whakapapa, mauri (life force/essence), and tikanga Māori (Māori customs and practices). Mauri represents the essential life force or vitality of an entity; threats to mauri are threats to health. Tikanga Māori encompasses the values, customs, and practices that guide Māori behaviour and that have direct implications for clinical interactions, including around death and dying, spiritual practices, and communal decision-making.

These models collectively emphasise that health is not an individual attribute but a relational and collective state. They challenge the biomedical model''s focus on individual pathology and call for clinical practice that engages whānau, acknowledges whakapapa, respects spiritual dimensions, and addresses structural determinants of Māori health inequity.