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Mackenzie Basin facts for kids

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Mackenzie Country Typical Colour
The Mackenzie Country's typical autumn colouration

The Mackenzie Basin (Māori: [Te Manahuna] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), popularly and traditionally known as the Mackenzie Country, 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. Historically famous mainly for sheep farming, the sparsely populated area is now also a popular tourism destination.

The basin was named in the 1850s by and after James Mckenzie (or in his native Scottish Gaelic: Seumas MacCoinnich), a shepherd and would-be farmer of Scottish origin. Mckenzie was captured for allegedly stealing sheep; he herded his flocks in what was then an area almost totally empty of any human habitation, though Māori previously lived there intermittently. After his capture, the area was soon divided up amongst new sheep pasture stations in 1857.

Geography

McKenzie Country With Southern Alps
The Southern Alps form the northern and western boundaries of the basin.
Shaun muckle benohau
The Ben Ohau Range from the eastern shore of Tekapo B hydrogenerator station headgate pond

The basin extends approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) north to south, and 40 kilometres (25 mi) east to west. The Southern Alps constitute its western edge. The majority of the Mackenzie Basin is within Canterbury, although the area to the south of the Waitaki River is in Otago.

Using State Highway 8, it can be accessed via Burkes Pass (elevation 709m / 2,326 ft) from the north and the Lindis Pass (elevation 965m / 3,166 ft) from the south, or via State Highway 83 through the Waitaki Valley from the east. Aside from these passes, the terrain is generally highest at the northern end and gradually descends in a southward direction.

The basin is drained by the Waitaki River. Prominent rivers crossing the Mackenzie Basin include the Ahuriri, the Hakataramea and the Tekapo Rivers. Lakes Ohau, Pukaki, Alexandrina and Tekapo lie within the Mackenzie Basin, as do the artificial hydroelectric lakes of Ruataniwha, Benmore and Aviemore.

Settlement and activities

Sparsely populated, and with only five settlements (Lake Tekapo, population <500; Mount Cook Village, population <150; Twizel, population <1,000; Omarama, population <400 and Fairlie, population <800), the Mackenzie Country comprises an area of huge glacial lakes and snow-capped mountains, particularly favoured by tourists and skiers.

The Ohau skifield near Omarama, and Roundhill and Mount Dobson Ski Areas at Lake Tekapo, are small commercial skifields popular amongst many living in Canterbury and Otago.

The Mackenzie Country is frequently utilized as the principal and second-unit location for television commercials, documentaries, and motion pictures, including much of Peter Jackson's epic The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and The Hobbit film trilogy.

Gliding is another common activity within the Mackenzie Basin, and the area was host to a Gliding World Cup event in 1995, as well as being the home of several gliding clubs, airfields, and numerous private glider pilots, of both amateur and professional status.

Due to its clean, dry and dark sky, the Mackenzie Basin serves as an important area for New Zealand-based astronomy, with a number of related facilities located there, including the nation's premier astronomical observatory, the University of Canterbury's Mount John University Observatory, and several amateur observatories. Astronomy-related tourism is an increasing contributor to the area's economy, with more astro-tourism ventures in development near Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook village (planetarium) and Omarama. Each June the annual mid winter star party is held at new moon on the Omarama airfield.

Plans are currently well-progressed to have the Mackenzie Basin designated as a Dark Sky Reserve, possibly the World's first, that will probably result in strengthening local ordinances to prevent light pollution. A recent World Heritage Committee meeting in Seville in 2009 was positive about the proposed project.

Demographics

Shaun muckle mtcook
Aoraki / Mount Cook from the southern shore of Lake Pukaki

The statistical area of Mackenzie Lakes corresponds to the portion of the Mackenzie Basin within the Mackenzie District. It includes Mt Cook Village and Lake Tekapo, but not Twizel. Mackenzie Lakes covers 5,134.25 km2 (1,982.35 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,430 as of June 2022, with a population density of 0.28 people per km2.

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
2006 783 —    
2013 882 +1.72%
2018 1,182 +6.03%

Mackenzie Lakes had a population of 1,182 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 300 people (34.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 399 people (51.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 375 households. There were 585 males and 597 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.98 males per female. The median age was 31.8 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 156 people (13.2%) aged under 15 years, 357 (30.2%) aged 15 to 29, 567 (48.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 102 (8.6%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 71.6% European/Pākehā, 4.3% Māori, 2.0% Pacific peoples, 20.1% Asian, and 7.1% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 43.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 55.6% had no religion, 31.0% were Christian, 1.8% were Hindu, 1.0% were Muslim, 2.8% were Buddhist and 2.3% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 279 (27.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 81 (7.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $36,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 141 people (13.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 780 (76.0%) people were employed full-time, 117 (11.4%) were part-time, and 3 (0.3%) were unemployed.

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