Introduction
During 2022, Joyous built an exciting partnership with Maurea Consulting. Maurea Consulting are a Māori owned consultancy known for transforming the way that organisations perceive and practise Māori culture. Maurea’s vision is to see Māori culture drive Aotearoa forward. Maurea work with organisations to unlock the potential that Māori culture can bring to them. This is driven by the belief that within Māori culture, lies solutions to many of the difficult challenges that face the world.
Together, we have developed The Mana Ora Framework - a framework that strengthens the connection between organisations and their people, no matter how many people there are. The framework shifts away from judgement and rather than being about ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ or ‘right’ vs ‘wrong’, it’s about listening generously to people’s states of being.
Figure 1 - The Joyous Impact Framework
Three Models in One Framework
The Mana Ora Framework combines three models into one:
- Te Whare Tapa Whā
- Te Mana Ātea
- Te Ara Maurea
These three models have been combined into a holistic framework that organisations can use to uplift hauora and the cultural consciousness of its members while also building mana, connections, and transparency through the Joyous platform.
Figure 2 - Three models
Te Whare Tapa Whā
A Māori holistic health model developed by Sir Mason Durie. It reminds us we need to take care of all elements of health in order to support well-being.
The symbol of the wharenui is used to represent well-being. It has four equal walls that support the structure. The wharenui’s connection to whenua forms the foundation of the four walls. If one wall is damaged, the structure becomes unbalanced.
This framework expands each wall to cover three topics.
Figure 3 - Te Whare Tapa Whā
Te Mana Ātea
Based on an intergenerational, indigenous practice of leadership developed by Donna Tamaariki, of Ngāti Whātua Orakei me Waiohua. It guides tikanga (custom) and ethics of a kaupapa (principle).
The Te Mana Ātea model is made up of three symbiotic attributes that underpin a ‘practice’. When all three attributes are applied, Te Mana Ātea (a safe space) will be present. This aligns with Dr Taina Pohatu's notion of Āhurutanga: the practice of “creating and maintaining quality space to ensure and promote the pursuit of best practice in any Kaupapa”. The inner circles represent te taiao (the environment).
Figure 4 - Te Mana Ātea
Te Ara Maurea
Te Ara Maurea is a continuum based on te orokohanga o te ao, from eons of darkness to living earth. Influenced by Teina Piripi and Vivienne Body's Tihei-Wa Mauri Ora Framework.
It is in 'the knowing' that Māori worldviews hold knowledge for Māori to make sense of their own existence and life to begin their own journey to wellness.
Figure 5 - Te Ara Maurea
The Elements of The Mana Ora Framework
The Mana Ora Framework consists of four major elements:
- Walls - The four walls of Te Whare Tapa Whā encompass the elements of health needed to support well-being. They are: Taha Whānau - Connections, Taha Tinana - Physical, Taha Wairua - Spiritual, and Taha Hinengaro - Mind. Whenua - Land/Roots support each wall.
- Topics - For each wall, there are three topics. Most hauora challenges fall under one of the three topics.
- Campaigns - For each topic, Maurea and Joyous have designed a series of pre-designed campaigns. Campaigns run for three weeks.
- Conversations - A campaign consists of three conversation starters focusing on being, doing, and knowing.
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Figure 6 - The four Elements of the Mana Ora Framework
Campaigns
Campaigns are organised by topic within the Mana Ora Framework.
Figure 7 - Recommended Campaigns
The 12 campaigns in the figure above are ideal for organizations to consider when planning their campaign schedule. The order in which campaigns are prioritized is completely flexible.
The remainder of this section provides an overview and sample campaign for each wall.
Taha Whānau | Connections
Figure 8 - The Taha Whānau | Connections Wall
The focus of this wall is to positively impact connections (Taha Whānau) with friends (hoa), family (whānau), and colleagues (tūhonga mahi).
Feeling socially connected combats feelings of isolation and loneliness which are well-established risk factors for poor health. Our social connections can also provide us with the support we need to face day-to-day challenges.
The 1.01 Improve Close Relationships campaign helps people identify how they are being, what they are doing, and who they know relating to this challenge.
Figure 9 - Campaign 1.01 Improve Close Relationships
Taha Tinana | Physical
Figure 10 - The Taha Tinana | Physical Wall
The focus of this wall is to positively impact behaviours that promote physical health (Taha Tinana).
Good physical health helps us to function at our best and can be positively impacted through healthy behaviours such as eating, exercising, and sleeping. These behaviours help to manage weight, protect us from disease and illness, improve brain health, strengthen our muscles and bones, and provide us with the energy needed to go about our day-to-day activities.
The 4.01 Improve Nutrition Habits campaign helps people identify how they are being, what they are doing, and who they know relating to this challenge.
Figure 11 - Campaign 4.01 Improve Nutrition Habits
Taha Wairua | Spiritual
Figure 12 - The Taha Wairua | Spiritual Wall
The focus of this wall is to positively impact behaviours that promote spiritual well-being (Taha Wairua).
Spiritual well-being recognises our need for purpose and meaning in life. Good spiritual health helps us to feel connected to a higher power and to those around us. It also helps with clarity of everyday decision-making and guides our actions so that they are consistent with our values and beliefs. Spiritual well-being can be positively impacted through spiritual practices, learnings, and peacefulness.
The 9.01 Increase Peacefulness campaign helps people identify how they are being, what they are doing, and who they know relating to this challenge.
Figure 13 - Campaign 9.01 Increase Peacefulness
Taha Hinengaro | Mind
Figure 14 - The Taha Hinengaro | Mind Wall
The focus of this wall is to positively impact the mind (Taha Hinengaro).
A healthy mind can result in greater productivity and resilience, higher energy levels, and feelings of satisfaction, purpose, and connection. We can strengthen our minds through positive behaviours such as increasing our knowledge and sharpness as well as becoming more emotionally aware of ourselves and of others.
The 11.01 Improve Sharpness campaign helps people identify how they are being, what they are doing, and who they know relating to this challenge.
Figure 15 - Campaign 11.01 Improve Sharpness
The Mana Ora Framework Contributors
Donna Tamaariki is the Pou Arataki / Head of Consulting at Maurea and holds a Masters in Applied Indigenous Knowledge from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Donna used her extensive knowledge as a Tikanga Māori practitioner to inform, shape, and develop The Mana Ora Framework content applying a Te Ao Māori lens. Donna's own model - Te Mana Ātea, developed during her Masters studies, features in the framework. It guides the structure of each conversation.
Laura-Jane Booker is a Full Stack Product person at Joyous and holds a Master's degree in Health Science with specific studies in workplace well-being. She is also a co-author of Pathways. Laura-Jane oversaw the framework project and helped to shape each conversation so that it could be delivered effectively through the Joyous platform. She also lead out the Product Design and Management of the framework.
Precious is the Pou Tāhu Rangapū / Chief Executive Officer at Maurea which she established in 2012. In 2016 she created Te Kaa – a highly acclaimed training programme that ignites Māori cultural competency. Precious has considerable governance experience and is currently on the board of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust, the Chair of Te Taumata-a-Iwi and Chair of Te Tira Kautū. Precious lead out the partnership and informed the framework content and strategy.
Ruby is a CO-CEO and Heart of Product at Joyous. She is a co-author of Joyfully and Pathways and recently won the Product category at the Atlassian Women Leading Tech awards. Ruby lead out the partnership, informed the framework content and strategy, guided the product design and management, and created the framework graphics.
Te Amohanga is the Pou Whakamāori / Lead Translator at Maurea and a Pouako mō Te Kaa / Te Kaa Trainer. Te Amohanga has a Master’s in Applied Indigenous Knowledge; a Diploma in Governance and Leadership and a Certificate in Māori Performing Arts. As an accredited and licensed Toi Reo Māori translator, Te Amohanga translated the Mana Ora conversations so that they could be presented in both Te Reo Māori and English languages.