Severe winds hitting velocities of up to 155km/h (96mph) have caused nearly 90,000 households experiencing outages and forced agencies to call off over 100 air travel services, according to domestic outlets.
The gales are affecting the complete South Island and southern sections of the northern region, according to the country's meteorological service.
Officials in New Zealand have issued rare high-level wind alerts - the most severe warning - in central regions such as Wellington and Canterbury.
Residents have been urged to remain inside, refrain from journeys, and prepare for additional utility disruptions.
Extensive Destruction and Emergency Measures
This outage appears to be affecting residences mostly in the southern region, although authorities say that power was being slowly brought back.
Domestic outlets have stated that in some places homes have lost their roofs, whereas trees and electricity poles have been brought down by the gales.
In Wellington, a individual was lost his life after being struck by a wooden fragment at a well-known hiking path on earlier this week.
Also in the capital, a female was pushed toward oncoming traffic on a road by a strong gust of wind, in a event that was filmed in a viral dashcam video.
Aircraft services entering and leaving the urban area have been halted as a result of the weather, and some roads and libraries are shut down.
At the same time local leaders have announced a emergency situation, to assist emergency management operations.
Labor Protests Amid Severe Conditions
These intense gusts on today coincide with many of school staff, physicians and civil servants are engaged in what has been called a "major walkout", demanding higher wages and enhanced employment terms.
Yet the extreme weather has compelled them to modify some of their plans, with various open-air gatherings shifted to interior venues or abandoned.
Similar gusts are impacting Australia, bringing a period of extreme heat to the remote areas.
Officials have announced fire bans for apprehension regarding bushfires.
