Legendary sheep rustler James Mackenzie caught

In 1855 James Mackenzie became one of New Zealand’s first and most enduring folk heroes. On 4 March he was apprehended in the upper Waitaki River basin that now bears his name by the overseer of Levels Station and two Māori shepherds, who were searching for 1000 missing sheep.

Mackenzie was caught red-handed with the sheep, but the tracks of several other men were visible nearby. Mackenzie denied the theft, claiming that he had been hired by John Mossman to drive the sheep to Otago. After escaping from his captors he walked 160 km to Lyttelton, where he was recaptured on 15 March. In April he was found guilty of theft by a Supreme Court jury and sentenced to five years’ hard labour.

Mackenzie escaped from his road gang in May and again in June, remaining at large for a few days each time. Subsequently he was placed in irons and watched carefully. In September a new resident magistrate investigated the case and found flaws in both the police inquiry and the trial. Pardoned in January 1856, Mackenzie probably returned to Australia, but nothing certain is known of his later life. He left his mark on the South Island high country. The significance of the pass where he was found with the sheep, and of the country it led to, were quickly appreciated by canny pastoralists. The region was subsequently dubbed the Mackenzie Country.

Mackenzie’s exploits earned him the admiration of many would-be farmers and others who did not fit easily into genteel Canterbury society. His pardon was popular in a community that was still establishing its social and political norms. His life became a legend in which his superhuman strength and fabled dog made him an extraordinary shepherd, drover and thief.

Image: notice of reward for capture of James Mackenzie in the Lyttelton Times (See more detail in Te Ara Biographies)