James Mckenzie (outlaw)

James Mckenzie (or in his native Scottish Gaelic: Seumas MacCoinnich), possibly born in Ross-shire, Scotland, in about 1820 was an outlaw who has become one of New Zealand's most enduring folk heroes.

Mckenzie emigrated to Australia in about 1849, arriving in Melbourne where he purchased a team of bullocks for carrying goods to the gold-diggings.

He was subsequently sentenced to five years hard labour after being found guilty by a Lyttelton Supreme Court jury in April 1855.

In September 1855, the Christchurch resident magistrate investigated Mckenzie's case and found serious flaws in the police inquiry and trial.

[2] New Zealand folk musician Mike Harding made him the subject of his ballad, 'McKenzie Song', originally composed by Kath Tait in 1973 as 'McKenzie's Ghost'.

Reward poster published in The Lyttelton Times in May 1855 offering a reward for the capture of James Mckenzie after he escaped from prison where he was being held for stealing sheep