Mackenzie District
Encyclopedia
Mackenzie District is a political district in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

. It is part of the larger Canterbury Region
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...

.

Principal settlements

  • Fairlie
    Fairlie, New Zealand
    FairlieUrban AreaPopulation:723Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Mackenzie District CouncilPopulation:Mayor:Website:Extent:Regional councilName:Environment Canterbury...

  • Twizel
    Twizel
    TwizelUrban AreaPopulation:1,000Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Mackenzie District CouncilPopulation:Mayor:Website:Extent:Regional councilName:Environment Canterbury...

  • Cave
    Cave, New Zealand
    CaveUrban AreaPopulation:Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:http://www.timaru.govt.nz/Extent:...

  • Mount Cook Village
    Mount Cook Village
    Mount Cook VillageUrban AreaPopulation:Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Mackenzie District CouncilPopulation:Mayor:Website:Extent:Regional councilName:Environment Canterbury...

  • Albury
    Albury, New Zealand
    AlburyUrban AreaPopulation:Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Mackenzie District CouncilPopulation:Mayor:Website:Extent:Regional councilName:Environment Canterbury...

  • Tekapo
    Lake Tekapo (town)
    TekapoUrban AreaPopulation:Extent:Territorial AuthorityName:Mackenzie District CouncilPopulation:Mayor:Website:Extent:Regional councilName:Environment Canterbury...



Also
  • Burkes Pass

Geography

See Mackenzie Basin,
Mackenzie River
Mackenzie River, New Zealand
The Mackenzie River is a river in the South Island of New Zealand.It is in the Mackenzie Basin of the Canterbury region. The river feeds into the Grays River which in turn feeds into the Tekapo River....

,
Tekapo River
Tekapo River
The Tekapo River flows occasionally through the Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island, although the riverbed is now often dry in the upper reaches it maintains a constant flow below the confluence of several tributaries notably the Merryburn, Forks, and Greys streams...

,
Pukaki River
Pukaki River
The Pukaki River flows through the Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island.Originally, the river flowed southwest for 15 kilometres from the southern end of Lake Pukaki before joining with the Tekapo River and flowing into the northern end of Lake Benmore...

,
Grays River
Grays River, New Zealand
The Grays River is a tributary of the Tekapo River in the Mackenzie Basin of New Zealand. It flows southwest for 25 kilometres, joining the larger river southeast of Lake Pukaki....


Economy

A relatively weakly settled area, the District does have a wide number of farms. However, in recent times (late 2000s), numerous proposals for new farming operations have locals fearing that the agriculture will be transformed from often family-held farms to large agribusiness
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....

 operations causing increased local ecologic damage and siphoning off capital overseas.

Climate

The Mackenzie District has a dry temperate-continental climate with clear, crisp snowy winters and long, hot summers. Autumn is known for being a riot of colour, while spring brings wild flowers blooming throughout the region including lupins. The warm summer season is from November to February, where the mercury often rises past 30 degrees. In the cooler winter season, from June to September temperatures drop to below 0 degrees celsius overnight, while sunny winter days average around 8 degrees and regular snowfall.

History

The MacKenzie Basin
Mackenzie Basin
The Mackenzie Basin , is an elliptical intermontane basin, located in the Mackenzie and Waitaki Districts, near the centre of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest such basin in New Zealand...

 was named in the 1850s by and after James Mckenzie, a Scottish-origin shepherd and sheep thief, and the name transferred to the modern district.

Lakes

  • Lake Tekapo
    Lake Tekapo
    Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand...

     and the 'Church of the Good Shepherd'.
  • Lake Pukaki
    Lake Pukaki
    Lake Pukaki is the largest of three roughly parallel alpine lakes running north-south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin on New Zealand's South Island. The others are Lakes Tekapo and Ohau...

  • Lake Ruataniwha
    Lake Ruataniwha
    Lake Ruataniwha is located in the Mackenzie Basin in New Zealand's South Island. An artificial lake, it was formed as part of the Waitaki hydroelectric project....

    , one of New Zealands main Rowing
    Watercraft rowing
    Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...

     venues.
  • Lake Ohau
    Lake Ohau
    Lake Ohau is a glacial lake in the Mackenzie Basin of New Zealand's South Island. It is fed by the Hopkins and Dobson rivers, which have their headwaters in the Southern Alps, and has its outflow in the Ohau River, which itself feeds into the Waitaki River hydroelectric project.Ohau is the smallest...


Skifields

  • Fox Peak
    Fox Peak
    Fox Peak is a small club skifield located 16 kilometres to the east of Lake Tekapo in New Zealand's South Island, New Zealand. Run by a non-profit organisation, the resort features 4 ski tows and a total vertical range of 580 m.-External links:...

  • Mt Dobson
  • Round Hill
  • Tasman Glacier Heliski

Mayor

The current district mayor is Claire Barlow, who was elected to replace the retiring John O'Neill in the 2010 local body elections. Ms Barlow is the first female mayor of the district.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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