Severe gales hitting velocities of up to 155km/h (96mph) have left around 90,000 homes without power and forced agencies to call off over 100 flights, according to domestic outlets.
The winds are affecting the entire southern region and southern sections of the North Island, per the weather forecasting body.
Officials in New Zealand have released infrequent severe gust advisories - the highest alert level - in core zones including Canterbury and Wellington.
Locals have been urged to stay indoors, avoid travel, and make arrangements for further power and communication outages.
Extensive Impact and Crisis Response
This outage seems to be impacting homes mostly in the southern region, though authorities say that the electricity supply was being slowly brought back.
Local media have stated that in various locations structures have suffered roof damage, whereas power lines and trees have been brought down by the gales.
Within the capital, a person was killed after being hit by a wooden fragment at a frequent walking route on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Wellington, a female was pushed toward oncoming traffic on a road by a powerful blast, in a moment that was captured in a viral dashcam video.
Aircraft services to and from the urban area have been cancelled due to the winds, and various routes and public facilities are shut down.
Simultaneously authorities in Canterbury have announced a state of emergency, to assist disaster response efforts.
Strike Action During Severe Weather
These intense gusts on today occur while numerous of school staff, physicians and civil servants are engaged in what has been termed a "major walkout", demanding better pay and working conditions.
However the intense climate has compelled them to change certain arrangements, with various open-air gatherings moved indoors or abandoned.
Comparable winds are affecting Australia, causing a period of extreme heat to the country's outback.
Authorities have announced flame prohibitions for concern about wildfires.
