Lesson at a Glance | He Tirohanga Whakamua
Ngā Whāinga Ako | Learning Intentions
Students will know
- What Taha Wairua means in Te Whare Tapa Whā: Spiritual identity, values, belief systems, and connection to place and ancestors.
- How to navigate peer pressure by anchoring decisions to personal core values (e.g. honesty, loyalty, courage, respect).
- How early adolescence brings evolving identity, independence, and self-expression.
Students will demonstrate
- By naming their top three values and one thing that has pushed on their trunk this year.
- By completing Section 2 of their Y7–8 Leadership Portfolio.
Do Now | Tīmatanga Whakaaro (10 min)
Values Anchor Prompt:
"When a storm hits a boat at sea, an anchor keeps it from drifting onto the rocks. What core values act as your personal anchor when you face tough choices at school?"
Unpack: Values like Integrity, Kindness, Courage, and Whānaungatanga guide who you are, no matter what trends or peer pressure try to blow you off course!
Taha Wairua & Identity Tree (15 min)
Te Whare Tapa Whā (7 min). Draw a wharenui on the board: four walls, one roof. In 1984 Sir Mason Durie described hauora — wellbeing — as a house like this, Te Whare Tapa Whā. Taha tinana is your physical health. Taha hinengaro is your mind and emotions. Taha whānau is family and the people you belong to. Taha wairua is your spirit: your values, what you believe, and your connection to place and to the people who came before you. If one wall is weak, the whole house feels it. This lesson works on the wairua wall.
Say the next part plainly, because students hear "spiritual" and assume it means religion. Wairua can include faith, but every student in the room has taha wairua whether or not they belong to any religion. It is the part of you that answers: who am I, and what do I stand for?
Ask the class: "Name something that is not sport, not schoolwork and not a screen, that makes you feel steady and like yourself. A place? Something your family always does? Something you believe about how people should be treated?" Take three or four answers — each one belongs to taha wairua. "I would rather not say" is a complete answer here too.
The tree carries that wall (8 min). The Identity Tree students build next maps the same territory taha wairua names: the roots hold connection to ancestors and place, the trunk holds values and beliefs. Walk through what each part stands for before students build their own:
Roots: Ancestors, family heritage, home country/land.
Trunk: Personal skills, character strengths, core beliefs.
Branches: Hobbies, sports, arts, friendships.
Leaves & Fruit: Future aspirations, career dreams, community goals.
Identity Tree Mapping (15 min)
Build your tree in Section 2 of your portfolio. Work on your own. Nobody reads this unless you decide they do.
Roots (5 min). Where and who you come from — places, people, languages, food, anything that was there before you chose it. Write as much or as little as you want. "I would rather not say" is a complete answer and it is on the page for a reason.
Trunk (5 min). From the list on the board, pick the four values you would not drop even if it cost you something. Then cross one out. Choosing is the activity; four things you like tells you nothing, three things you kept tells you a lot.
Branches (5 min). Where you are heading. Not a career — things you want to get good at, places you want to go, people you want to be like.
Kaiako note. Put 12–14 values on the board so the choice is real: whānau, loyalty, honesty, humour, fairness, being trusted, independence, kindness, courage, creativity, hard work, respect, being left alone, standing up for people. Do not ask anyone to read their roots aloud, and do not display Section 2 without asking that student first.
📁 Y7–8 Leadership Portfolio — Section 2: Identity & Values
Students open Section 2 of their Y7–8 Leadership Portfolio.
Section 2 Requirements:
1. Identity Tree Diagram: Draw your personal Identity Tree labelling roots, trunk, branches, and future fruit.
2. Trunk — what I stand for: Name what you stand for, and one thing that has pushed on your trunk this year.
Exit Verification | Ka Mutu Hoki (5 min)
Exit Check:
"My Section 2 maps out my Identity Tree and names what I stand for."
Teacher Planning & NZ Curriculum Alignment
Curriculum anchor — Te Mātaiaho, Health Education, Phase 3 (Years 7–8):
During puberty, body image and peer acceptance can be shaped by social comparisons, media influences, and changing self-awareness, not just physical changes alone.
Te Mātaiaho (2025 draft), Health and Physical Education, Phase 3. The unit's full curriculum anchoring is on the Y7–8 Starter Pack overview.
Vocabulary: Identity, Taha Wairua, Te Whare Tapa Whā, core values, integrity, self-advocacy, identity tree.