He wants it back next Saturday. Moore (27) ran 47.04sec when he won the title in 2009.
It will be harder this time when he lines up in the New Zealand championships in Dunedin.
"I had the fastest time and was the favourite last time," Moore said.
"This time I will be the underdog."
The front-runner this year is Alex Jordan (Tasman), who ran 46.87sec in the Porritt Classic in Hamilton last month.
Moore is not worried about Jordan's emergence.
"It's better for me," he said.
"He is the one to beat and the pressure will be on his shoulders. I will not have the same expectations on me."
Moore had four races in Europe in 2009 that culminated in the World University Games in Belgrade, where he reached the semifinals.
He then concentrated on completing his masters degree in business and did not defend his New Zealand title last year.
This season he has concentrated on the shorter sprints and has a best 200m time of 21.9sec.
He has only had two 400m races, with his best time being 47.36sec at the Caledonian Ground early last month.
"It's been a quiet buildup," he said.
"I wanted to stay strong and have not raced too much."
Moore is able to race fast 400m times when he retains his speed by racing shorter events.
"I try to keep up my basic speed. It all boils down to being ready for the big day," he said.
"I'm confident I will be right."
The new Caledonian Ground opened in 1999 and the record time for 400m is the 46.86sec run by Tim Hawkes (Hutt Valley) when he won the senior New Zealand title in 2003.
Moore's best time is the 47.04sec he ran in Invercargill two years ago.
He is confident of cracking the 47sec barrier next week.
"Whoever wins will have the new record and I hope it will be me," Moore said.
He does not think he is ready to break the New Zealand record of 46.09sec Shaun Farrell (Canterbury) ran at the New Zealand championships in 1998.
"But if everything goes right I will think of that down the line," Moore said.
If Moore has a good race at the Caledonian Ground he will travel to the Australian championships in Melbourne in early April.
He is toying with the idea of racing in Europe next winter where he will get the competition he needs to reduce his times.
"I will keep chipping away to get my times down," he said.
Otago secondary schools 400m record holder Andrew Whyte (South Otago) will represent New Zealand at an international meeting in Sydney this weekend and will miss the annual Otago-Southland secondary schools championships at the Caledonian Ground today.
It is the first time he has represented New Zealand and the first time he has been to Australia.
