Building Hauora Connections

Year 11 Cooking Class – Technology

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Context & Overview

This 60-minute lesson continues the Year 11 cooking unit focused on the Te Whare Tapa Whā (Hauora) model, integrated through the practical task of assembling a gingerbread house as a metaphor for wellbeing. Students have previously introduced the concept with active engagement, light exercise, and reflection on sensory experience (music and Easter eggs).

In this lesson, students will:

• Reflect on prior sensory and physical experiences related to Hauora.
• Collaboratively assemble their gingerbread houses by constructing the four walls using baking and food safety techniques.
• Reflect on the significance of the four walls of Hauora and explore their implications practically and personally.
• Engage with a Hauora worksheet if time permits.

The lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), particularly:

• Technology Learning Area: Technological Practice and Technological Knowledge (planning and making food products safely and purposefully).
• Health and Physical Education Learning Area: Hauora and Wellbeing concepts.
• Key Competencies: Managing self, relating to others, participating and contributing, and thinking.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Reflect on the impact of sensory experiences and physical activity on their hauora dimensions.
2. Understand and apply safe food handling and baking processes to assemble a gingerbread house.
3. Identify and explain the four walls of the Te Whare Tapa Whā model.
4. Make connections between the physical assembly of the gingerbread house and the conceptual strengthening of hauora.
5. Demonstrate responsible cleaning practices post-cooking.

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Achievement Standard & Curriculum Links

• Achievement Standard: AS92008 (Demonstrate knowledge of basic food safety and hygiene practices related to a New Zealand context)

• Strands: Health and Wellbeing, Food Technology, Hauora

• NZC Achievement Objectives:

  • Technology: Technological Practice (Planning for Practice)
    • Develop a plan that identifies the resources and procedures required to complete a technological outcome.
  • Technology: Technological Knowledge
    • Understanding of health and safety procedures in food technology.
  • Health and Physical Education: Hauora and Wellbeing
    • Understand dimensions of hauora and how they contribute holistically to wellbeing.
  • Key Competencies
    • Managing self: Develop personal management skills in hygiene and safety.
    • Relating to others: Work collaboratively to complete tasks.
    • Participating and contributing: Engage actively and responsibly in group tasks.
    • Thinking: Reflect on learning, experiences, and wellbeing.

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Materials Required

• Pre-baked gingerbread house frames (from previous lessons)
• Icing/glue mix and other decorating ingredients
• Food-safe utensils (knives, spatulas, piping bags)
• Handwashing and cleaning stations
• Hauora reflection worksheets
• Whiteboard and markers or digital display for instructions and concepts

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Lesson Plan Breakdown

Time	Activity	Description and Purpose	Teaching & Learning Focus
0-5	Welcome and Recap	Revisit last session’s experiences — music, running, Easter eggs and initial baking. Prompt students to share thoughts on how these influenced their hauora (physical, mental, spiritual, whānau).	Activate prior knowledge, social-emotional reflection, oral language development
5-10	Class Discussion: Hauora Reflection	Teacher guides class to consider how sensory input (music, taste, exercise) affects hauora. Use open questions to foster thinking on personal feelings and wellbeing.	Develop critical thinking and link to holistic models of wellbeing (Te Whare Tapa Whā)
10-45	Practical: Assembling Gingerbread House Walls	Students work in pairs or small groups to assemble the four walls using the recipe, following food safety and hygiene protocols carefully. Teacher models safe and hygienic practices.	Apply technological practice and knowledge; develop managing self and collaborative skills
45-50	Cleaning Up	Responsible cleaning of work areas and utensils to reinforce hygiene and care for environment.	Encourage independence, responsibility, and managing self competency
50-60	Wrap up Discussion & Hauora Worksheet	If time permits, discuss the symbolism of each wall of Te Whare Tapa Whā, explore examples of imbalance, and complete hauora worksheets.	Consolidate understanding, reflection on wellbeing and explicit teaching of hauora concepts

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Teaching Strategies and Differentiation

• Scaffolded instructions: Step-by-step recipe and assembly guidelines with visual cues and teacher demonstrations.
• Flexible grouping: Pairing to balance skill levels and encourage peer support.
• Prompting and questioning: To deepen hauora understanding, i.e., “What might happen if one wall is weak?”
• Cultural responsiveness: Embed Māori concepts respectfully, use te reo Māori names for Hauora dimensions like Taha Tinana (physical), Taha Hinengaro (mental), Taha Wairua (spiritual), and Taha Whānau (family/social).
• Practical hands-on learning: Engaging kinaesthetic learners through building and cooking.
• Time management: Clear time signals to encourage pace without stress.
• Use of real-life context: Link food preparation skills to healthy lifestyle choices supported by Hauora model.

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Cultural Responsiveness

This lesson is deeply embedded in Māori conceptualisations of hauora (Te Whare Tapa Whā). It aligns with the NZC principle of Recognising the cultural heritages of New Zealand people by:

• Using te reo Māori terms and concepts accurately.
• Acknowledging tangata whenua perspectives on wellbeing.
• Promoting tikanga Māori by valuing interconnectedness of physical, spiritual, emotional, and social health.
• Welcoming diverse cultural understandings of health during class discussions.
• Encouraging students from all backgrounds to share their whānau/ community perspectives on wellbeing, enriching the learning environment.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation of students following food safety procedures and hygiene practices.
• Contributions to discussion reflecting understanding of hauora.
• Completion and quality of responses in the Hauora worksheet (if time allows).
• Practical skill demonstration in gingerbread house assembly.

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Extension & Reflection

If students finish early:

• Facilitate deeper discussion on each wall of Te Whare Tapa Whā.
• Ask students to give real-life examples of situations where one wall might be ‘weaker’ and how it impacts overall wellbeing.
• Encourage students to reflect in their learning journal on their experience linking food technology and holistic wellbeing.

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Summary

This lesson purposefully integrates Technology and Health and Physical Education strands from the New Zealand Curriculum using a Māori wellbeing framework, empowering students to explore health, technology, and cultural identity while developing practical cooking and food safety skills.

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If you need, I can also provide a printable lesson planner or worksheet template to accompany this plan!

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References

• The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) – key competencies and technology strands
• Te Whare Tapa Whā model – Mason Durie (1994)
• AS92008 Achievement Standard documentation
• Te Mātaiaho Framework and NZC guidance on culturally responsive pedagogy