Flights in and out of Wellington, the capital, and Christchurch, in Canterbury, have all been cancelled, some train services have been suspended and several government facilities such as libraries have been closed. New Zealand Transport Agency also shut several roads and there have been significant power outages.

Media showed images of toppled silos, blown down fences, a truck overturned and surface flooding in affected areas.

MetService said severe north-westerlies were expected to produce damaging gusts up to 150kh/h near Christchurch and in coastal parts of the lower South Island and up to 140kh/h in parts of Wellington and Wairarapa on Thursday, with heavy rain also forecast for parts of the country.

A red warning is only issued in the most extreme events and people have been asked, where possible, to shelter in place, and government buildings such as libraries and parks have been closed in areas worst affected.

The National Emergency Management Agency said a state of emergency for the Canterbury region took effect late Wednesday, allowing authorities to mobilise resources and issue directions as conditions intensify.

Fire crews continue to battle wildfires in Hawke’s Bay, on the east coast of the North Island, and these have largely been contained, according to a post from Hawke’s Bay Fire and Emergency.

TVNZ reported that a large vegetation fire has also broken out near Hanmer Springs, on the east coast of the South Island, which Fire crews are struggling to get to because the road is blocked by fallen trees.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) said in a statement it had crews out responding to several incidents and asked people to watch for falling trees, powerlines, debris flying around and to stay off the roads.