Mackenzie District

Story

Mackenzie District is a political district in New Zealand's South Island administered by the Mackenzie District Council. It is part of the larger Canterbury region.Principal settlementsThe Mackenzie District only has three towns with a permanent population over 300 at the 2013 census: Fairlie (pop. 690) – seat of the districtTwizel (pop. 1,140) – the district's largest townTekapo (pop. 370) Other smaller settlements include: Mount Cook VillageAlburyBurkes PassGeographyMackenzie BasinMackenzie RiverTekapo RiverPukaki RiverGrays RiverEconomyA relatively weakly 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.ClimateThe 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.