Kai, Wai and Hauora

Overview

In this practical Health and Physical Education experience, ākonga explore how kai and wai can support hauora, enjoyment, connection and participation in everyday life. Through collaborative scenarios, they make flexible, context-aware choices rather than learning rigid food rules. The lesson is adaptable for early learning/Years 0–3, Years 4–6 and Years 7–10.

Learning intentions

• WALT explore how kai and wai can support our taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau and taha wairua.
• WALT use manaakitanga and whanaungatanga when talking about food, water and wellbeing.
• WALT make inclusive, practical choices for different people, places and situations.
• WALT explain that nourishment, joy, belonging and access can look different for each person and whānau.

Success criteria

• I can use kai, wai and hauora words respectfully.
• I can suggest choices that support participation, energy, enjoyment or connection.
• I can listen to and include different cultural, religious, accessibility and whānau perspectives.
• I can help create a shared class plan without judging people’s food or drink practices.

Curriculum links

• Te Mātaiaho Health and PE: Bodies | Minds / Self-care — understanding everyday choices that support wellbeing.
• Te Mātaiaho Health and PE: Health Education — exploring hauora through relationships, belonging, participation and self-care.
• Hauora dimensions: taha tinana (physical wellbeing), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing), taha whānau (relationships and belonging), and taha wairua (values, identity and meaning).
• Te Mātaiaho learning narrative: ākonga develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and values through manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, critical thinking and participation in real-life contexts.

Key kupu and language guidance

• Kai — food and nourishment; wai — water and other fluids; hauora — wellbeing; manaakitanga — care, respect and generosity; whanaungatanga — relationships, belonging and connection.
• Use “choices”, “possibilities”, “what might support this person?” and “what is available here?” rather than “good/bad”, “right/wrong”, “healthy/unhealthy”, “should” or “rules”.
• Say: “Different bodies and whānau have different needs, traditions, access and preferences.”

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Welcome and provocation. Open with the hook and learning intention slides and display a colourful image of people sharing kai and wai in different places. Invite a mihi or class greeting, then ask, “What helps people feel ready, connected and cared for during a day?” Students think-pair-share; they may speak, draw, gesture or pass.

2. 7–15 min · Build shared understanding. Use the hauora and kupu slides to introduce kai, wai, hauora, manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. Explain the four hauora dimensions with simple examples: water for playing or concentrating, kai connected with enjoyment or identity, shared food creating belonging, and values or traditions guiding choices. Students add an example or question, without discussing personal eating habits.

3. 15–28 min · Collaborative sorting. Place groups of 4–5 at tables with safe, clean food and water images or empty packaging, plus scenario cards prepared by the teacher. Read scenarios such as: “A class is going on a hot outdoor walk”; “A whānau is welcoming visitors”; “Someone needs food that is safe for them”; “A learner is preparing for a busy afternoon”; or “The class has limited equipment and water access.” Students sort images into flexible headings: could support our bodies, could bring joy or connection, could help us participate, and we need more information. There is no single correct answer. Circulate and ask, “Who might this work for?”, “What else could be needed?” and “How could we include everyone?”

4. 28–42 min · Kai and wai for our day planning. Distribute the Kai and Wai for our day planning sheet to each group. Students choose one scenario and plan a class response: what kai or wai might be available, how it could support one or more hauora dimensions, how to show manaakitanga, and what adaptations or alternatives may be needed. Years 0–3 can draw, match pictures and dictate ideas; Years 4–6 add brief reasons; Years 7–10 consider access, sustainability, cultural context, advertising, cost and whose voices should shape the plan.

5. 42–52 min · Share and co-construct. Groups present their plan using the scenario-sharing and discussion prompts. Class members respond with “I notice…”, “I wonder…” or “We could include…”. Co-create a class Nourishment and Joy Plan with three to five statements, such as “We make water easy to access”, “We respect different kai traditions”, “We include choices for participation”, and “We share care without pressure or judgement.” The teacher records students’ words and checks that plans are realistic for the local kura.

6. 52–60 min · Reflect and close. Return to the reflection and exit prompt. Students complete an oral, drawn or written response: “One way kai or wai can support hauora is…” and “One way we can show manaakitanga is…”. Invite a few volunteers to share. Revisit the learning intentions and identify one class action, such as improving water access or learning about a local kai tradition.

Resources

• the complete Kai, Wai and Hauora slide deck
• the Kai and Wai for our day planning sheet
• Safe food and water photographs, labels or empty packaging
• Teacher-prepared, age-appropriate scenario cards
• Large paper or whiteboard for the Nourishment and Joy Plan
• Markers, pencils, glue and optional drawing materials
• Clean water containers or reusable bottles for discussion only
• Visual timetable, symbol cards and communication supports
• Allergy-safe alternatives and hand-cleaning supplies

Assessment

• Listen during sorting for respectful language, hauora connections and recognition that choices depend on context.
• Confer with groups using: “What is your reason?”, “Who have you included?” and “What might make this difficult or unsafe?”
• Use the final response to check whether each ākonga can identify one way kai or wai may support hauora and one manaakitanga action. Record evidence through notes, drawings, speech or the worksheet.

Differentiation

• Support with picture vocabulary, bilingual labels, sentence starters (“This could help because…”, “We could include…”), mixed-ability grouping, modelling and adult scribing.
• Offer oral recording, drawing, pointing, AAC, enlarged images, tactile objects and movement breaks; ensure tables, resources and presentation spaces are physically accessible.
• Extend Years 7–10 by comparing two contexts, evaluating access and sustainability, or researching how local environments and food systems influence choices.
• Do not require anyone to disclose personal food practices, health information, income, religion or whānau circumstances. Allow fictional scenarios and private responses.

Cultural safety, inclusion and whānau links

Check ingredients and packaging before class; do not use real food for tasting unless all allergy and consent requirements are met. Never assume a food is safe, affordable, familiar or acceptable. Plan for allergies, coeliac disease, diabetes, religious and cultural dietary needs, food insecurity, sensory differences and disability-related access needs. Avoid “clean”, “junk”, “cheat”, weight or restriction language.

Invite whānau, kaumātua, local growers, food rescue groups or mana whenua knowledge-holders to share local kai, wai places, seasonal practices and stories, with permission and appropriate acknowledgement. Do not treat one tradition as representative of all Māori or Pacific whānau. Connect the class plan to a realistic local action, such as caring for a drinking-water station, planting kai, reducing waste or learning where local wai comes from.