John Cornelius Moorfield (18 October 1943 – 19 May 2018), also known as , was a New Zealand academic whose expertise was in the teaching of the

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

. His work, including the publication of resources for learners of the language, contributed to the language's revitalisation.

Early life and education

Born at

Huntly Huntly ( or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlements include Keith ...

Hospital on 18 October 1943, and raised in

Te Kauwhata Te Kauwhata is a small town in the north of the Waikato region of New Zealand, situated close to the western shore of Lake Waikare, some 40 km north of Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton and approximately 58 km south of Manukau City. Th ...

, Moorfield was the son of Moya Ella Winifred Moorfield (née Walker) and her husband Robert Peter Moorfield. Despite being

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

(a New Zealander of European descent), he was educated at St Stephen's School—a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

boys' boarding school at

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, south of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

—where his teachers included

Hoani Waititi Hoani Retimana Waititi (12 April 1926 – 30 September 1965) was a notable New Zealand teacher, educationalist and community leader. Of Māori people, Māori descent, he identified with the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui iwi. He was born in Whangapar ...

. Moorfield became captivated by the Māori language, and went on to study at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, and he was one of the first students to complete a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

majoring in Māori language. After graduating from Auckland, Moorfield went to Auckland Secondary Teachers' College in 1967 to train as a schoolteacher, and began his quest for an effective method of teaching the Māori language. In 1984, Moorfield completed a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

at the

University College of Wales, Aberystwyth Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

, where his thesis was titled, ''An analysis of the bilingual method: theoretical and practical considerations''. In 1998, he earned a

Doctor of Literature Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

degree from the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

, based on his body of work of textbooks and resources for adult learners of the Māori language.

Career

After leaving teachers' college, Moorfield taught at Ngaruawahia High School, Wesley College, and Tuakau College, secondary schools in the

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

and South Auckland. Moorfield was appointed to the staff of the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

in 1976, working and teaching alongside

Tīmoti Kāretu Sir Tīmoti Samuel Kāretu (born 29 April 1937) is a New Zealand academic of Māori language and performing arts. He served as the inaugural head of the Department of Māori at the University of Waikato, and rose to the rank of professor. He wa ...

Te Wharehuia Milroy James Te Wharehuia Milroy (24 July 1937 – 7 May 2019) was a New Zealand academic and expert in the Māori language. He was of Ngāi Tūhoe descent. Together with Tīmoti Kāretu and Pou Temara, Milroy was a lecturer at Te Panekiretanga o te ...

and

Hirini Melbourne Hirini (Sid) Melbourne (21 July 1949 – 6 January 2003) was a Māori people, Māori composer, singer, university lecturer, poet and author who was notable for his contribution to the development of Māori music and the revival of Māori culture ...

. Concerned at the inadequacy of available resource material to support the teaching of the Māori language to adult students, Moorfield set about compiling audio resources and writing appropriate books. The resulting ''Te Whanake'' series of resources and textbooks has been recognised internationally as a model for minority language education programmes. At Waikato, Moorfield was also responsible for the establishment of the first Māori-medium undergraduate degree programme. After 21 years at Waikato, Moorfield moved to the

in 1997, and his ''Te Whanake'' system for Māori language learning was implemented at all levels. There he began collaborating with

Tania Ka'ai Tania M. Ka'ai, sometimes known as Tania Kaai-Oldman, is a New Zealand education academic. She is a full professor of language revitalisation at the Auckland University of Technology. Academic career Ka'ai earned a 1995 education PhD from th ...

, and in 2007 both Moorfield and Ka'ai moved to

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology ( AUT; ) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT is New Zealand's third largest university i ...

to take professorships in Māori innovation and development. Notable doctoral students of Moorfield's include

Hana O'Regan Hana Merenea O'Regan (born 1973) is a Māori language advocate and academic in New Zealand. She is a member of the Ngāi Tahu iwi (tribe). Early life and education O'Regan was born in Wellington, the youngest of five children, to Tipene O'R ...

. In 2005, Moorfield published a Māori–English dictionary entitled (meaning "The Vine"), which is available both in print and online. Moorfield died of cancer on 19 May 2018.

Honours

In the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, Moorfield was appointed a

Companion of the Queen's Service Order The King's Service Order () established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant of Queen regnant, Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to t ...

, for services to Māori language education.

Publications

Published works by Moorfield include: * * * * *

References

External links

''Te Aka Māori–English, English–Māori Dictionary and Index'' online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moorfield, John 1943 births 2018 deaths People from Waikato University of Auckland alumni Alumni of Aberystwyth University University of Otago alumni Academic staff of the University of Waikato Academic staff of the University of Otago Academic staff of the Auckland University of Technology Māori language revivalists Companions of the Queen's Service Order Deaths from cancer in New Zealand People educated at St Stephen's School, Bombay Hills