Before a career in tertiary education, Macfarlane was a secondary teacher, head teacher, Liaison Officer for the Ministry of Education, and Advisor for Special Education Services. His tertiary education career began in 1995 with lectureship and associate professorship positions at the
University of Waikato. He received a
PhD titled
Culturally inclusive pedagogy for Māori students experiencing learning and behaviour difficulties in 2003. Macfarlane moved to the
University of Canterbury in 2009. == Research ==