Tehei Mauri Ora!
As part of ongoing personal development at my school, I have been exploring the introduction of Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) into my educational practices. In Te Ao Māori, the development of the learning environment is about nurturing mauri ora . The concept of mauri is complex, but in simple terms can be considered a vitality of life. There are multiple types of mauri and like a spider's web each type has many threads and I shall only touch on a few here, as I am still learning. Mauri can be considered a metaphysical aspect of Te Ao Māori and could have useful practical application to our teaching practice. When the mauri of your students is at its peak, the students are flourishing in your classroom – with alert and inquiring minds and mutually beneficial relationships between students and teachers and between students themselves, this is known as mauri ora . T his view of the learning environment is part of the mauri ora model, as explained by Sir Mason Durie. The model