Te Whakaruruhau
Nau mai kuhuna taku whare
Taku whakamarumaru, taku whakaruruhau
In 2021, Healthy Families Hutt Valley created Te Whakaruruhau from five foundational pou, Tikanga, Hauora, Reo, Whenua and mātauranga, to strengthen the cultural capability of kaimahi and support authentic engagement with Māori communities.
Te Whakaruruhau is a whare concept that translates to shelter, protector and refuge, aiming to grow kaimahi understanding of te ao Māori. Ultimately influencing how the team engages with key influencers, decision-makers, communities, and environments. Te Whakaruruhau aims to improve understanding of a Māori worldview and ensures cultural integrity and holistic wellbeing by maintaining balance across the pou, which guide the approach to all of Healthy Families Hutt Valley’s kaupapa.
A practice model.
Te Whakaruruhau continues to inform and shape Healthy Families Hutt Valley’s approach to preventing chronic disease by ensuring that Māori perspectives and views remain at the centre
Ngā Pou
POU TIKANGA
(Customs and Protocols)
Tikanga is the pou that anchors all actions in cultural integrity, ensuring that everything we do is aligned with Māori customs, values, and protocols. It represents the principles of "te mea tika" – doing what is right – and acknowledges that tikanga is dynamic, responsive, and contextual. For Healthy Families Hutt Valley, tikanga underpins the foundation of trust and respect when engaging with whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities.
The role of the tikanga pou is to:
ensure that Māori customs and protocols are upheld and respected in all areas of our mahi
support kaimahi to understand and apply appropriate tikanga in various contexts, recognising regional and situational differences
foster environments where cultural practices are normalized and embedded, rather than being performative or tokenistic
act as a compass for ethical decision-making that is consistent with kaupapa Māori principles
By upholding tikanga, we protect the integrity of our work and create spaces where Māori feel seen, heard, and valued. It reminds us that the process is just as important as the outcome, and that culturally grounded practice is essential to achieving meaningful, sustainable health outcomes..
POU HAUORA
(Health and Well-being)
The hauora pou draws on traditional approaches to health and wellbeing to inform and compliment the prevention focus of Healthy Families Hutt Valley. This pou also utilises current Māori health models to inform the Healthy Families Hutt Valley approach to chronic disease prevention. The models include:
Te Whare Tapa Whā
Te Wheke
Te Pae Māhutonga
He Korowai Oranga
The role of the hauora pou is to:
acknowledge the multiple components that makeup ‘hauora’, as defined in the various Māori models of health
ensure a cultural and holistic lens is applied so that Māori worldviews, perspectives and approaches to health and wellbeing are considered
share positive narratives where hauora is transforming the lives of our community.
POU REO
Language and Communication
The reo pou is about how we use and promote Te Reo Māori and accepting the validity of Māori oratory beliefs and practices which stem from mātauranga.
The role of the reo pou is to:
remind us of the important role te reo Māori plays for hapori Māori
acknowledge the different contexts we operate in and recognise cultural approaches to communication
accept the validity of Māori oratory practices such wānanga as an effective decision-making process.
POU WHENUA
(Land and Environment)
The whenua pou directly relates to the environment and sustainability. In Te Ao Maori, people are descendants of Ranginui and Papatūānuku – the earth and sky, innately connected to the environment. The whenua pou relates to this view that land and life are always connected, and that it is a social obligation for people to look after and care for the environment.
The role of the whenua pou is to:
accept the validity of traditional Māori sustainability beliefs and practices
acknowledge the whakapapa-based relationship that Māori have with the land and the environment
remind us that land and life is always connected, and any conversation to do with whenua must also discuss the connection to wai.
POU MĀTAURANGA
(Intergenerational Knowledge)
Mātauranga relates to the holistic Māori worldview, and can be described as a continuum, or body of knowledge which grew and developed in accordance with life in Aotearoa.
The role of the mātauranga pou is to:
acknowledge the relevance and viability of mātauranga Māori informed prevention approaches
remind the Healthy Families Hutt Valley kaimahi that mātauranga is involved in all facets of life and developed through a wide range of experiences (e.g, in the classroom, workplace, garden etc).
support the Healthy Families Hutt Valley kaimahi to deepen their own knowledge and understanding of Te Ao Māori.
By connecting to one pou you are connecting to all by the way of the tāhuhu (ridge pole of a house) or the whenua (land) below. The intentional interconnectedness is a holistic way of looking at health and wellbeing and we are naturally contributing to the reconnection of cultural identity.
