Te Mana Whakahaere
You can read this page in te reo Māori
Te Mana Whakahaere — self–governance and autonomy exists at all levels
Te Mana Whakahaere is your ability to have autonomy or control over your learning journey and wellbeing, and making decisions that have a positive impact on your life. Autonomy is not only about you as an individual, it is also about our shared responsibility to the wellbeing of the collective.
“Stand in your mana and be yourself. Don't try and be someone you’re not, if you have a problem, ask for help. Go and get the support. Don't try and tackle it yourself if it's overwhelming you.”
Ways to connect to this whetū
- When the opportunity arises, use your voice! Stand up for yourself or others when things don’t feel right. There are student councils and associations you can join if you want to be proactive in advocating or having a say on things that matter to you.
- To be more in control of your learning or wellbeing, it’s important to be as informed as possible. Ask questions to those around you and those you learn from, or support people in your area of study or workplace.
- When it comes to autonomy or having control, we have a shared responsibility. Reach out to someone who may need some support if you are in a position to do so. Or if you are that someone who needs a bit of guidance, reach out to find someone to support you.
- Share your stories or experiences with others, you never know how it may help someone else on their journey.
“Being able to self–determine your learning journey is really important. To be able to see yourself in your learning and future; to have a voice, to speak to how you want to carve out that journey, enables success.”
Joy
Counsellor Māori
Explore each whetū of Te Pae Māhutonga
Mauri ora | cultural identity
Waiora | physical environment
Toiora | healthy lifestyles
Te Oranga | participation in society
Ngā Manukura | leadership
Te Mana Whakahaere | autonomy
Knowing where Te Pae Māhutonga is, tells us where we are. We can learn and work best when these different areas of our oranga (health) are supported. Some of them may be stronger than others at different times – you may need awhi, guidance or simply time to explore different aspects of Te Pae Māhutonga throughout your journey and at different times of your life.
