Intense gales reaching speeds of approximately 155km/h (96mph) have left around 90,000 households without power and led officials to call off over 100 aircraft departures, as reported by regional news sources.
The gales are influencing the whole southern region and lower areas of the northern region, per the national weather agency.
Officials in New Zealand have announced infrequent red wind warnings - the highest alert level - in core zones including Canterbury and Wellington.
Residents have been advised to stay indoors, stay off roads, and make arrangements for more power and communication outages.
Widespread Damage and Crisis Response
This outage appears to be affecting residences mainly in the southern region, although officials report that power was being slowly brought back.
Regional news have reported that in some places homes have lost their roofs, and utility poles and vegetation have been toppled by the winds.
Within the capital, a individual was fatally injured after being impacted by a tree branch at a popular trail walking spot on earlier this week.
Also in the capital, a individual was blown onto oncoming traffic on a street by a powerful blast, in a incident that was filmed in a viral dashcam video.
Flights entering and leaving the metropolis have been cancelled because of the weather, while various routes and public facilities are also closed.
Meanwhile authorities in Canterbury have declared a state of emergency, to assist recovery activities.
Work Stoppages During Severe Conditions
These intense gusts on this day come as many of educators, medical professionals and government employees are participating in what has been termed a "mega strike", demanding higher wages and enhanced employment terms.
However the extreme weather has pressured them to modify various scheduled activities, with various open-air gatherings moved indoors or abandoned.
Like conditions are affecting Australia, causing a high-temperature event to the country's outback.
Agencies have declared fire bans for apprehension regarding wildfires.
