A Living Curriculum: Interweaving Te Whare Tapa Whā, Model of Māori Holistic Health and Wairua, Into Postgraduate Mental Health and Addictions Nursing.

A primary focus on a Western model of care in clinical practice is seen to be conventional; however, a te ao Māori world view requires holistic thinking, which is universal. This article discusses the incorporation of Te Whare Tapa Whā into the curriculum of the Postgraduate Certificate of Nursing (Mental Health, Addictions and Disability) at Whitireia New Zealand and shares kaimahi reflections on the experiences of ākonga. The author, one of the kaimahi in the teaching team, completed a research thesis exploring wairua, which inspired the evaluation and review of a postgraduate mental health nursing programme. The teaching team identified the need to restructure the training to achieve a contemporary and scaffolded learning process, and the distinct inclusion of wairua, Māori spirituality, was recommended. Sir Mason Durie guided the use of Te Whare Tapa Whā model, which depicts the four ingredients of health, and in 2017, it was incorporated into the curriculum. Each of the four theory weeks was dedicated to one of the dimensions of Durie’s model: taha hinengaro, taha tinana, taha wairua and taha whānau. The process of change occurred with very few challenges and seemed to be intrinsic. On reflection, after five years of embedding the new teaching model, it is clear that it has been transformational for kaimahi and ākonga alike.