Intense gusts reaching velocities of up to 155km/h (96mph) have left nearly 90,000 properties without power and forced officials to cancel over 100 aircraft departures, based on regional news sources.
The winds are impacting the whole South Island and lower areas of the North Island, per the country's meteorological service.
The nation's agencies have announced uncommon high-level wind alerts - the most severe warning - in core zones including Canterbury and Wellington.
Residents have been encouraged to remain inside, stay off roads, and get ready for further power and communication outages.
Widespread Impact and Crisis Response
The power cut seems to be impacting households predominantly in the southern region, although agencies report that energy was being slowly brought back.
Local media have indicated that in various locations roofs have been ripped off houses, whereas trees and electricity poles have been toppled by the gales.
Across Wellington, a man was fatally injured after being impacted by a wooden fragment at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Wellington, a individual was blown onto approaching vehicles on a street by a strong gust of wind, in a incident that was filmed in a viral dashcam video.
Air travel to and from the metropolis have been cancelled as a result of the winds, whereas some roads and libraries are also closed.
At the same time authorities in Canterbury have announced a state of emergency, to support disaster response efforts.
Work Stoppages Alongside Extreme Weather
The wild winds on today come as many of educators, medical professionals and government employees are engaged in what has been termed a "major walkout", calling for higher wages and enhanced employment terms.
But the intense climate has forced them to modify certain arrangements, with several external protests shifted to interior venues or called off.
Comparable winds are also sweeping Australia, ushering in a high-temperature event to the country's outback.
Agencies have declared fire bans for apprehension regarding forest fires.
