World

Thousands left without power in NZ after powerful storm

By AAP Newswire

Jun 27, 2026

Storm damage to a house in New Zealand — Thousands remained without power after a powerful storm lashed central New Zealand. -AAP Image

Thousands of people in New Zealand have been left without power, a day after a low-pressure ‌system swept across the country triggering flooding ‌and landslides.

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More than 3000 outages were recorded on Saturday after the storms lashed NZ's central region of 5.3 ‌million people, including ‌the ⁠capital Wellington, the utility Powerco said.

"After a very wet and windy 24 hours, the weather is on its way out," national weather forecaster MetService posted on ⁠X.

Emergency authorities ‌warned of debris on roads, areas of surface flooding and ‌a continued risk of landslides in Wellington.

The wild weather forced the cancellation on Friday of 200 flights in and out of Wellington.

Officials in Lower Hutt, northeast ‌of Wellington, reported flooded roads and two landslides.

The transport network across the wider region was also significantly disrupted.The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) advised drivers to take extreme care on State Highways 1 and 2 near Wellington.

In January, heavy rain triggered a landslide that killed six people at a busy campground on the country's North Island.

with AAP