Intense winds hitting speeds of as high as 155km/h (96mph) have left nearly 90,000 households without power and forced agencies to cancel more than 100 air travel services, as reported by domestic outlets.
These gusts are impacting the whole southern region and southern parts of the North Island, per the country's meteorological service.
New Zealand authorities have announced uncommon red wind warnings - the top caution category - in core zones including these major districts.
People have been encouraged to avoid going outside, refrain from journeys, and make arrangements for additional power and communication outages.
Widespread Destruction and Crisis Response
This outage is primarily influencing households mostly in the South Island, while agencies state that the electricity supply was being gradually reinstated.
Local media have reported that in some places homes have lost their roofs, whereas utility poles and vegetation have been toppled by the gales.
In Wellington, a person was killed after being impacted by a tree branch at a popular trail walking spot on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Wellington, a female was blown onto oncoming traffic on a thoroughfare by a intensive burst, in a event that was captured in a popular vehicle recording.
Flights to and from the urban area have been suspended as a result of the weather, and various routes and public facilities are shut down.
Meanwhile authorities in Canterbury have issued a emergency situation, to assist disaster response efforts.
Strike Action During Extreme Weather
These intense gusts on Thursday come as tens of thousands of educators, medical professionals and government employees are engaged in what has been described as a "mega strike", demanding better pay and working conditions.
But the extreme weather has forced them to change some of their plans, with some outdoor rallies relocated inside or called off.
Like conditions are impacting Australia, causing a high-temperature event to the country's outback.
Officials have declared burning restrictions for fear of bushfires.
