Severe gusts reaching velocities of up to 155km/h (96mph) have resulted in nearly 90,000 homes without power and led authorities to halt more than 100 aircraft departures, according to domestic outlets.
The gales are affecting the complete southern region and southern parts of the northern region, according to the national weather agency.
The nation's agencies have announced uncommon high-level wind alerts - the top caution category - in core zones such as Canterbury and Wellington.
Residents have been encouraged to stay indoors, refrain from journeys, and prepare for further electricity and network failures.
Broad Damage and Crisis Response
This outage is primarily influencing homes predominantly in the southern region, while officials report that the electricity supply was being slowly brought back.
Regional news have stated that in some places homes have lost their roofs, while trees and electricity poles have been knocked down by the gales.
Within the capital, a man was killed after being impacted by a wooden fragment at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday.
Also in the capital, a woman was blown onto oncoming traffic on a street by a strong gust of wind, in a incident that was recorded in a widely shared car camera footage.
Flights in and out of the city have been cancelled due to the winds, while some roads and libraries are not operating.
Simultaneously authorities in Canterbury have announced a emergency situation, to support emergency management operations.
Labor Protests During Severe Conditions
The powerful gales on today coincide with many of school staff, physicians and civil servants are engaged in what has been called a "significant labor action", calling for better pay and working conditions.
Yet the extreme weather has compelled them to alter various scheduled activities, with various open-air gatherings relocated inside or abandoned.
Comparable winds are affecting the nearby nation, bringing a heatwave to the nation's interior regions.
Agencies have announced fire bans for concern about wildfires.
