Intense gales hitting velocities of as high as 155km/h (96mph) have left nearly 90,000 households lacking electricity and led authorities to call off over 100 flights, according to domestic outlets.
The gales are influencing the whole South Island and southern sections of the northern region, as stated by the weather forecasting body.
Officials in New Zealand have released infrequent severe gust advisories - the most severe warning - in key areas such as Wellington and Canterbury.
Residents have been urged to remain inside, avoid travel, and get ready for further power and communication outages.
Broad Damage and Crisis Measures
This outage seems to be impacting residences mostly in the South Island, while officials state that energy was being restored progressively.
Local media have reported that in some places homes have lost their roofs, whereas power lines and trees have been brought down by the gales.
In Wellington, a person was lost his life after being struck by a tree branch at a popular trail walking spot on earlier this week.
Meanwhile in Wellington, a female was swept into approaching vehicles on a road by a strong gust of wind, in a moment that was filmed in a popular vehicle recording.
Aircraft services to and from the city have been suspended due to the winds, and certain highways and community centers are also closed.
Meanwhile local leaders have declared a emergency situation, to assist disaster response efforts.
Labor Protests Amid Severe Weather
The powerful gales on Thursday occur while tens of thousands of teachers, doctors and other public workers are engaged in what has been described as a "mega strike", requesting higher wages and enhanced employment terms.
However the extreme weather has compelled them to modify some of their plans, with several external protests shifted to interior venues or called off.
Similar gusts are impacting Australia, bringing a high-temperature event to the remote areas.
Officials have issued burning restrictions for fear of forest fires.
