Te Taha Wairua

Te taha wairua refers to spiritual awareness. It is recognised as the essential requirement for health and well-being. It is believed that without spiritual awareness an individual can be lacking in well-being and therefore more prone to ill health.

Wairua explores relationships with the environment, people and heritage. Spiritual awareness is key to making effective decisions.

Sometimes people confuse the word spiritual with religion. It can include religion for some – but certainly doesn’t need to.

Wairua could be considered as being about connection; feeling connected with that around us, feeling part of what is around us – and part of connection is the connection we have with ourselves, also.

Within this model, wairua is acknowledged to be the most essential requirement for health. It is believed that without a spiritual awareness an individual can be considered to be lacking in well-being and more prone to ill health.