Powerful winds reaching velocities of as high as 155km/h (96mph) have resulted in around 90,000 households without power and forced agencies to call off more than 100 aircraft departures, as reported by regional news sources.
The winds are influencing the whole South Island and lower areas of the northern region, according to the country's meteorological service.
New Zealand authorities have announced uncommon red wind warnings - the top caution category - in central regions such as Wellington and Canterbury.
People have been advised to stay indoors, stay off roads, and get ready for more power and communication outages.
Widespread Destruction and Crisis Measures
This outage is primarily influencing households mostly in the South Island, while authorities report that the electricity supply was being slowly brought back.
Regional news have indicated that in some places homes have lost their roofs, whereas trees and electricity poles have been toppled by the gales.
Across Wellington, a person was killed after being impacted by a falling limb at a well-known hiking path on Tuesday.
Additionally in the city, a woman was swept into moving cars on a street by a powerful blast, in a moment that was filmed in a widely shared car camera footage.
Flights entering and leaving the urban area have been halted as a result of the gusts, while some roads and libraries are shut down.
At the same time local leaders have issued a state of emergency, to support emergency management operations.
Labor Protests Alongside Extreme Conditions
The powerful gales on Thursday occur while tens of thousands of educators, medical professionals and government employees take part in what has been described as a "significant labor action", demanding better pay and working conditions.
However the severe conditions has forced them to modify some of their plans, with various open-air gatherings shifted to interior venues or cancelled.
Comparable winds are also sweeping the nearby nation, bringing a heatwave to the remote areas.
Agencies have declared burning restrictions for concern about bushfires.
