Powerful gales attaining velocities of up to 155km/h (96mph) have resulted in around 90,000 homes without power and forced officials to call off more than 100 aircraft departures, according to local media.
The gales are impacting the complete South Island and southern parts of the North Island, as stated by the country's meteorological service.
Officials in New Zealand have released rare severe gust advisories - the most severe warning - in key areas including Wellington and Canterbury.
Residents have been encouraged to stay indoors, stay off roads, and get ready for further power and communication outages.
Widespread Damage and Crisis Measures
This outage appears to be affecting homes mostly in the southern region, although agencies report that the electricity supply was being slowly brought back.
Regional news have stated that in certain areas structures have suffered roof damage, whereas utility poles and vegetation have been brought down by the gusts.
Across Wellington, a person was lost his life after being struck by a falling limb at a frequent walking route on Tuesday.
Also in the capital, a individual was blown onto approaching vehicles on a thoroughfare by a powerful blast, in a moment that was filmed in a widely shared car camera footage.
Flights in and out of the city have been cancelled because of the gusts, whereas some roads and libraries are shut down.
At the same time authorities in Canterbury have announced a state of emergency, to assist disaster response efforts.
Strike Action During Extreme Conditions
The powerful gales on today coincide with many of educators, medical professionals and government employees are engaged in what has been termed a "major walkout", demanding higher wages and enhanced employment terms.
But the extreme weather has forced them to change various scheduled activities, with some outdoor rallies moved indoors or cancelled.
Like conditions are also sweeping Australia, causing a period of extreme heat to the nation's interior regions.
Agencies have issued flame prohibitions for apprehension regarding wildfires.
