WELLINGTON, June 27 (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A powerful winter low-pressure system has left thousands of homes across New Zealand’s central and lower North Island without power. The storm, which peaked on June 26, triggered widespread transport chaos, severe flooding, and dangerous landslides across the region.
According to utility provider Powerco, more than 3,000 properties remain without electricity on Saturday. This figure follows a peak of over 7,000 households that lost power during the height of the weather event.
The storm brought ferocious gales that reached massive speeds across the region. Damaging wind gusts peaked at 153 km/h at Wellington’s Mount Kaukau, while Marlborough’s Brothers Island recorded gusts of 150 km/h. These intense conditions forced the cancellation of 200 flights in and out of Wellington Airport on Friday.
Heavy rainfall caused significant infrastructure damage, including dual landslides in Lower Hutt. In South Wairarapa, the town of Martinborough became completely isolated after all access routes were closed due to flooding. Local grid operator Wellington Electricity noted that repair crews faced unsafe conditions during the night, warning that some remote properties might wait until mid-week for restoration.
Emergency services reported unusual debris hazards, including airborne backyard trampolines and roofing iron torn away by the wind. In New Plymouth, a motorist was seriously injured by a falling tree, and high winds caused a heavy street lantern to dangle precariously over a main thoroughfare.
The severity of the winds in the capital is often attributed to the Cook Strait funnel effect. New Zealand’s mountains act as a natural barrier, compressing and accelerating air through the strait with significant force. The grounding of 200 flights at Wellington Airport was noted as statistically rare, given that the facility typically cancels only 2% of its total scheduled flights annually.
National forecaster MetService announced that the worst of the severe southerly winds and heavy rain has passed, allowing weather warnings to be lifted. While commercial flight operations at Wellington Airport have resumed, emergency management officials continue to urge caution.
“After a very wet and windy 24 hours, the weather is on its way out,” MetService posted on X.
Authorities are advising drivers to remain vigilant on State Highways 1 and 2, where surface flooding and road debris persist. The risk of landslides remains a concern in Wellington, following a tragic January event where heavy rain triggered a landslide that killed six people at a North Island campground.
