Mackenzie District

Mackenzie District is a local government district on New Zealand's South Island, administered by the Mackenzie District Council. It is part of the larger Canterbury Region.

For the former regional administrative district of Canada's Northwest Territories, see District of Mackenzie.
Mackenzie District
Territorial authority district
Mackenzie District within the South Island
Mackenzie District within the South Island
Coordinates: 43°58′44″S 170°27′25″E
CountryNew Zealand
IslandSouth Island
RegionCanterbury
Communities
  • Tekapo
  • Twizel
  • Fairlie
Wards
  • Opuha
  • Pukaki
Formed1989
SeatFairlie
Government
 • MayorGraham Smith
 • Deputy MayorJames Leslie
 • Territorial authorityMackenzie District Council
Area
 • Total7,339.23 km2 (2,833.69 sq mi)
 • Land7,138.59 km2 (2,756.23 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2023)[1]
 • Total5,690
 • Density0.78/km2 (2.0/sq mi)
Postcode(s)
Map of postcodes
Websitewww.mackenzie.govt.nz

Geography

Principal settlements

The Mackenzie District has four major settlements:

Other smaller settlements include:

Geographical features

Rivers:

Mountains:

Lakes:

Glaciers:

Skifields:

National parks:

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 wildflowers blooming throughout the region, including lupins. The warm summer season is from November to February, with temperatures often passing 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.[2]

History

The MacKenzie Basin 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.

Demographics

Mackenzie District covers a land area of 7,138.59 km2 (2,756.23 sq mi)[3] and had an estimated population of 5,690 as of June 2023,[1] with a population density of 0.80 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20063,801—    
20134,158+1.29%
20184,866+3.19%
Source: [4]

Mackenzie District had a population of 4,866 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 708 people (17.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 1,065 people (28.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,863 households. There were 2,511 males and 2,352 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.07 males per female. The median age was 40.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 801 people (16.5%) aged under 15 years, 978 (20.1%) aged 15 to 29, 2,274 (46.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 810 (16.6%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 86.4% European/Pākehā, 6.8% Māori, 1.2% Pacific peoples, 8.9% Asian, and 3.4% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 24.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 51.7% had no religion, 37.1% were Christian, 1.1% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 1.2% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 777 (19.1%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 702 (17.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 555 people (13.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,451 (60.3%) people were employed full-time, 660 (16.2%) were part-time, and 30 (0.7%) were unemployed.[4]

Individual wards
NameArea (km2)PopulationDensity (per km2)HouseholdsMedian ageMedian income
Pukaki Ward5,155.262,6340.5198138.2 years$34,500
Opuha Ward1,983.342,2291.1287942.8 years$31,500
New Zealand37.4 years$31,800
Individual statistical areas in the Mackenzie district (2018 census)[5]
SA2 name Population Dwellings Median age Median income
Fairlie 885 480 47.3 years $25,700
Mackenzie Lakes 1,182 984 31.8 years $36,500
Opua 1,347 639 40.0 years $36,600
Twizel 1,455 1,485 46.5 years $31,400

Economy
View near Twizel

In 2012, the Mackenzie District had 850 businesses who employed 1900 full time equivalent staff and generated $190 million dollars in revenue. The economy is based on hydroelectric generation, farming (including aquaculture) and tourism.[6]

Of the 267 farms in the Mackenzie District in 2012, 34% of these were sheep farms, 18% sheep and beef cattle, and 15% beef cattle. Minimal amounts of crop farming occurs in the Mackenzie District, with small amounts of barley (7,733 tonnes) and oats (2,265 tonnes) grown.[6]

A relatively sparsely settled area, the district does have a wide number of farms. However, in the 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 operations, causing increased local ecologic damage and siphoning off capital overseas.[7]

List of mayors
Main article: Mayor of Mackenzie
Name Term of office
Bruce Scott 1989-1992 reference to follow
Neil Anderson 1992–2001[8]
Stan Scorringe 2001–2004[9]
John O'Neill 2004–2010[10]
Claire Barlow 2010–2016[11]
Graham Smith 2016–present[12]

References
  1. "Subnational population estimates (RC, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (regional councils); "Subnational population estimates (TA, SA2), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (territorial authorities); "Subnational population estimates (urban rural), by age and sex, at 30 June 1996-2023 (2023 boundaries)". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023. (urban areas)
  2. "Aoraki Mount Cook Mackenzie". mtcooknz.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  3. "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  4. "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Mackenzie District (065). 2018 Census place summary: Mackenzie District
  5. "2018 Census place summaries | Stats NZ". www.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
  6. Nick Taylor, Simon Harris, Wayne McClintock, Mike Mackay (May 2015). "Upper Waitaki Limit Setting Process: Social-economic Profile of the Waitaki Catchment". Ecan. Retrieved 19 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Taylor, Gary (2010-02-08). "A national treasure is being squandered". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  8. "Health Minister announces DHB deputy chairs". Scoop.co.nz. 21 December 2001.
  9. "Mayoral Election Results 2004 Affecting the Mayors Taskforce For Jobs". Mayors Taskforce for Jobs.
  10. "O'Neill plans family time". Stuff. 8 October 2010.
  11. Watts, Jerram (10 October 2010). "Receptionist becomes Mayor for Mackenzie". Newshub.
  12. "'Exciting times' for new Mackenzie mayor Graham Smith". Stuff. 9 October 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mackenzie District.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.