[1][2][3] Despite being Pākehā (a New Zealander of European descent), he was educated at St Stephen's School—a Māori boys' boarding school at Bombay, south of Auckland—where his teachers included Hoani Waititi.

[5] In 1984, Moorfield completed a Master of Education at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, where his thesis was titled, An analysis of the bilingual method: theoretical and practical considerations.

[6][7] In 1998, he earned a Doctor of Literature degree from the University of Otago, based on his body of work of textbooks and resources for adult learners of the Māori language.

[4][5] Moorfield was appointed to the staff of the University of Waikato in 1976, working and teaching alongside Tīmoti Kāretu, Te Wharehuia Milroy and Hirini Melbourne.

[3][4][10] After 21 years at Waikato, Moorfield moved to the University of Otago in 1997, and his Te Whanake system for Māori language learning was implemented at all levels.