Intense gales hitting speeds of up to 155km/h (96mph) have caused nearly 90,000 households experiencing outages and forced officials to cancel in excess of 100 air travel services, according to regional news sources.
The winds are impacting the whole South Island and lower areas of the North Island, per the national weather agency.
The nation's agencies have issued rare high-level wind alerts - the most severe warning - in central regions such as Wellington and Canterbury.
Locals have been advised to avoid going outside, avoid travel, and make arrangements for further utility disruptions.
Broad Damage and Crisis Response
This outage appears to be affecting households predominantly in the South Island, although agencies say that the electricity supply was being slowly brought back.
Local media have stated that in certain areas homes have lost their roofs, whereas utility poles and vegetation have been brought down by the gusts.
In Wellington, a person was fatally injured after being hit by a wooden fragment at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday.
Additionally in the city, a female was swept into oncoming traffic on a road by a powerful blast, in a event that was captured in a widely shared car camera footage.
Aircraft services to and from the metropolis have been halted due to the winds, whereas certain highways and community centers are not operating.
Simultaneously local leaders have issued a crisis declaration, to support disaster response efforts.
Strike Action Amid Severe Weather
These intense gusts on Thursday occur while many of school staff, physicians and civil servants are engaged in what has been described as a "significant labor action", requesting improved salaries and workplace environments.
However the extreme weather has forced them to alter some of their plans, with various open-air gatherings relocated inside or called off.
Comparable winds are affecting the neighboring country, ushering in a high-temperature event to the nation's interior regions.
Authorities have declared burning restrictions for apprehension regarding bushfires.
