Intense gales reaching speeds of as high as 155km/h (96mph) have caused nearly 90,000 homes experiencing outages and compelled officials to halt in excess of 100 air travel services, as reported by local media.
The winds are impacting the entire South Island and lower areas of the North Island, per the weather forecasting body.
Officials in New Zealand have released infrequent red wind warnings - the highest alert level - in key areas such as Wellington and Canterbury.
People have been advised to stay indoors, avoid travel, and make arrangements for further electricity and network failures.
Broad Impact and Crisis Response
This outage is primarily influencing households mainly in the southern region, although authorities say that energy was being slowly brought back.
Local media have reported that in some places structures have suffered roof damage, and trees and electricity poles have been brought down by the winds.
Within the capital, a person was fatally injured after being impacted by a tree branch at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday.
Additionally in the city, a woman was pushed toward approaching vehicles on a street by a intensive burst, in a event that was recorded in a viral dashcam video.
Aircraft services to and from the urban area have been halted because of the weather, while certain highways and community centers are shut down.
At the same time Canterbury officials have declared a state of emergency, to assist disaster response efforts.
Strike Action Amid Harsh Conditions
The powerful gales on today coincide with numerous of teachers, doctors and other public workers take part in what has been called a "major walkout", requesting higher wages and enhanced employment terms.
However the severe conditions has pressured them to alter some of their plans, with some outdoor rallies shifted to interior venues or abandoned.
Comparable winds are also sweeping the nearby nation, causing a high-temperature event to the nation's interior regions.
Agencies have announced fire bans for apprehension regarding bushfires.
