Severe gales hitting speeds of up to 155km/h (96mph) have caused approximately 90,000 homes experiencing outages and led agencies to cancel over 100 aircraft departures, as reported by domestic outlets.
The winds are affecting the complete southern region and southern parts of the northern region, as stated by the country's meteorological service.
New Zealand authorities have released rare severe gust advisories - the highest alert level - in key areas including these major districts.
People have been encouraged to avoid going outside, stay off roads, and make arrangements for further power and communication outages.
Widespread Destruction and Crisis Measures
The power cut appears to be affecting residences mainly in the southern region, while officials say that energy was being restored progressively.
Local media have reported that in various locations roofs have been ripped off houses, whereas trees and electricity poles have been knocked down by the gales.
Within the capital, a person was lost his life after being impacted by a tree branch at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday.
Also in the capital, a individual was pushed toward moving cars on a thoroughfare by a intensive burst, in a moment that was captured in a widely shared car camera footage.
Aircraft services in and out of the city have been cancelled because of the weather, and various routes and public facilities are not operating.
At the same time authorities in Canterbury have issued a state of emergency, to facilitate recovery activities.
Strike Action Amid Extreme Weather
The wild winds on today come as tens of thousands of educators, medical professionals and government employees take part in what has been called a "major walkout", requesting better pay and working conditions.
Yet the extreme weather has forced them to modify certain arrangements, with some outdoor rallies shifted to interior venues or called off.
Comparable winds are affecting Australia, causing a heatwave to the nation's interior regions.
Agencies have issued flame prohibitions for apprehension regarding wildfires.
