Intense gusts hitting speeds of as high as 155km/h (96mph) have resulted in around 90,000 homes without power and forced authorities to cancel in excess of 100 aircraft departures, as reported by local media.
The gales are impacting the entire southern region and southern parts of the North Island, as stated by the national weather agency.
The nation's agencies have released rare severe gust advisories - the most severe warning - in central regions encompassing Wellington and Canterbury.
Locals have been advised to remain inside, stay off roads, and make arrangements for more power and communication outages.
Broad Destruction and Crisis Response
This outage appears to be affecting households mostly in the southern region, though authorities state that power was being slowly brought back.
Local media have indicated that in various locations structures have suffered roof damage, and power lines and trees have been toppled by the gusts.
Across Wellington, a man was fatally injured after being struck by a wooden fragment at a frequent walking route on Tuesday.
Additionally in the city, a female was pushed toward approaching vehicles on a road by a powerful blast, in a incident that was filmed in a popular vehicle recording.
Aircraft services entering and leaving the city have been halted because of the winds, whereas some roads and libraries are also closed.
At the same time authorities in Canterbury have issued a crisis declaration, to facilitate disaster response efforts.
Labor Protests Amid Extreme Conditions
These intense gusts on today coincide with numerous of educators, medical professionals and government employees 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 various scheduled activities, with several external protests relocated inside or called off.
Comparable winds are also sweeping Australia, ushering in a period of extreme heat to the remote areas.
Authorities have announced flame prohibitions for apprehension regarding bushfires.
