Intense gales attaining velocities of up to 155km/h (96mph) have caused nearly 90,000 households experiencing outages and forced agencies to call off over 100 aircraft departures, according to domestic outlets.
The gales are affecting the complete southern region and southern sections of the northern region, per the weather forecasting body.
New Zealand authorities have announced rare high-level wind alerts - the highest alert level - in key areas encompassing Wellington and Canterbury.
Residents have been encouraged to stay indoors, refrain from journeys, and make arrangements for additional electricity and network failures.
Extensive Damage and Emergency Measures
This outage seems to be impacting households predominantly in the southern region, although authorities say that energy was being slowly brought back.
Domestic outlets have stated that in certain areas roofs have been ripped off houses, whereas power lines and trees have been toppled by the gales.
Across Wellington, a person was killed after being struck by a tree branch at a popular trail walking spot on earlier this week.
Also in the capital, a female was pushed toward moving cars on a street by a strong gust of wind, in a incident that was recorded in a viral dashcam video.
Aircraft services entering and leaving the urban area have been suspended as a result of the winds, and some roads and libraries are not operating.
At the same time local leaders have declared a emergency situation, to support emergency management operations.
Labor Protests During Extreme Conditions
The wild winds on today come as many of teachers, doctors and other public workers take part in what has been described as a "major walkout", calling for better pay and working conditions.
Yet the severe conditions has forced them to change some of their plans, with some outdoor rallies moved indoors or cancelled.
Similar gusts are impacting the nearby nation, ushering in a heatwave to the remote areas.
Authorities have issued burning restrictions for apprehension regarding forest fires.
