Two years ago he was the country's top conventional ploughman, but last year he changed ploughs, which contributed to his slipping to fourth.
This year, having mastered the quirks of his new equipment, Mr McKenzie once again reigned supreme at the national finals in Methven 10 days ago, winning the national conventional ploughing section.
The win means that next May he will represent New Zealand at the world ploughing finals in Sweden, where he will hope to replicate the efforts of Bruce Redmond, of Methven, who won the world finals in Canterbury, New Zealand Plough 2010, following the New Zealand event.
Mr McKenzie said that after his 2008 win he decided to change ploughs to the same make and model the New Zealand Ploughing Association owns and stores in Europe for use at world ploughing finals.
It took a year to master the gear, but at the New Zealand finals he finished second in the stubble-ploughing and won the grass title, scoring more points with this victory than he did his 2008 win.
Mr McKenzie said he spent the week before the competition practising on soils in the Rakaia district similar to those he would face in the competition.
On returning home, Mr McKenzie said he would be straight back into practising and preparing for the regional ploughing competitions so he could qualify for the 2011 national finals in South Otago next April.
New Zealand World Ploughing organising committee chairman Noel Sheat, of Palmerston, said the recent world ploughing contest had been a true contest between the ploughmen.
The uniformly high quality of the soil over the ploughing field at the J. F. Ridge and Sons farm near Methven removed the luck of the draw apparent in other world contests.
Bruce Redmond, of Methven, won the conventional plough-ing title and Paul Henson, of Palmerston North, was third in the reversible section.
The outstanding results achieved by the New Zealand ploughmen against 29 other world ranked competitors had been exceeded only once, when New Zealanders finished first and second in the World Ploughing contest in Tasmania in 1982, Mr Sheat said.
It was estimated that more than 30,000 people visited the championships over the course of the four events.