Canterbury Paddocks embodies Moffitt's enduring intention to paint 'this place', a reaction to his concerns that, at the time, New Zealand was too often being painted from a European perspective. In 1987 Moffitt received sponsorship to travel to the Netherlands along with a commission for a series of works depicting scenes from the freezing works. During his travels he studied historical works by Northern European artists, many of which portrayed animals and rural farm scenes. The Canterbury Paddocks series feature livestock viewed from the road through fences. Familiar New Zealand scenes, but until Moffitt, not widely adopted subject matter. This series was first exhibited at the Brook Gifford Gallery, Christchurch in 1992.