Powerful winds hitting velocities of approximately 155km/h (96mph) have left approximately 90,000 homes experiencing outages and forced authorities to halt more than 100 air travel services, based on regional news sources.
The winds are influencing the whole South Island and southern parts of the North Island, per the national weather agency.
Officials in New Zealand have issued uncommon severe gust advisories - the top caution category - in central regions including Wellington and Canterbury.
People have been encouraged to avoid going outside, refrain from journeys, and make arrangements for additional power and communication outages.
Widespread Impact and Emergency Response
This outage appears to be affecting residences mostly in the South Island, though authorities say that energy was being slowly brought back.
Local media have reported that in some places roofs have been ripped off houses, whereas power lines and trees have been knocked down by the gales.
Within the capital, a man was lost his life after being struck by a wooden fragment at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Wellington, a individual was swept into oncoming traffic on a road by a strong gust of wind, in a incident that was captured in a viral dashcam video.
Air travel entering and leaving the city have been halted because of the gusts, whereas certain highways and community centers are not operating.
Meanwhile Canterbury officials have announced a crisis declaration, to facilitate disaster response efforts.
Labor Protests Alongside Extreme Conditions
These intense gusts on this day come as tens of thousands of school staff, physicians and civil servants are engaged in what has been called a "mega strike", demanding better pay and working conditions.
Yet the intense climate has forced them to alter certain arrangements, with various open-air gatherings relocated inside or cancelled.
Like conditions are affecting the nearby nation, bringing a high-temperature event to the remote areas.
Authorities have declared burning restrictions for concern about forest fires.
