Mackenzie Basin

[2] Historically famous mainly for sheep farming, the sparsely populated area is now also a popular tourism destination.

[3] 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.

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.

[6] Each June the annual mid winter star party is held at new moon on the Omarama airfield.

[12] The original vegetation cover prior to human settlement has been completely transformed in the basin and indeed most of the surrounding Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands ecoregion, initially due to fires lit by Māori and European settlers, and in more recent times by farming activity and by pests.

The extensive network of canals for hydroelectric schemes posed a threat to the black stilt (or kakī), an endangered river wading bird.

These weed trees cover large areas sometimes to a very high density and therefore excluding native vegetation and reducing the amount of available pasture.

The Department of Conservation has plans to drop sodium fluoroacetate (1080) laced poison bait to control the rabbit numbers.

[14] There is currently a high demand for water to irrigate the Mackenzie Basin, with 126 resource consents from 36 applicants before Environment Canterbury as of mid-2009.

The water would be used to irrigate an area of 27,125 hectares (67,030 acres), but the schemes are opposed by many locals and the Department of Conservation for the potential ecological effects, and since it may clash with a proposed Mackenzie Basin Drylands Park.