Flights canceled and a ‘mega strike’ disrupted as dangerous winds hit New Zealand
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Swathes of New Zealand were hit by dangerous winds Thursday for the second time in a week, with howling gales canceling hundreds of flights, causing power outages and forcing school closures.
Winds were strongest in the lower North Island, where the capital Wellington is located, and parts of the South Island, including the city of Christchurch. National forecaster MetService issued rare “red” wind warnings, the highest alert level, for several regions.
No deaths or serious injuries were reported. When a different weather system hit the country on Monday, a Wellington man was struck and killed by a falling tree branch.
Thursday’s devastation also disrupted planned rallies for health care and education workers, in what was likely the country’s largest industrial strike in decades. More than 100,000 workers represented by four unions walked out for four hours, after the failure of several months of negotiations with the government on wages and working conditions.
More than 200 flights across New Zealand were canceled on Thursday as some urban areas of New Zealand experienced wind speeds of 140 to 160 km (87 to 100 miles) per hour, with gusts in a remote rural part of the South Island recording 230 km (143 miles) per hour.
Tens of thousands of properties were without power in different parts of the country. Winds felled trees, ripped off roofs and, in the city of Dunedin, toppled shipping containers into the port.
Dangerous winds also forced the closure of some highways. The remote west coast of the South Island has been cut off from roads after flooding closed the only routes to the region.
Some gatherings of teachers, doctors and nurses across the country whose unions had planned a coordinated strike on Thursday were canceled due to weather conditions. Union leaders said workers were still on strike, even where protests had been called off.
Thousands of people still marched in the cities of Auckland and Hamilton, and hundreds of people demonstrated in small towns spared from the bad weather.
Hospitals and emergency rooms remained open to the public, but the government health agency urged people not to seek medical attention unless in an emergency. Medical staff at a Nelson city hospital returned to work during the strike when the facility lost power due to high winds.
In the days leading up to the strike, ministers in New Zealand’s center-right government – often at odds with workers’ unions – lambasted the action, calling it politically motivated. Union leaders rejected the accusation, saying they had also organized strikes under the previous center-left government.
About half of those who walked out were teachers and the rest were doctors, dentists, nurses, social workers and other medical professionals. Their demands varied by sector, but wages, staffing levels and working conditions were the main complaints leading to the strike.
The move comes amid sharp cuts in public spending and record numbers of New Zealanders leaving the country, particularly to neighboring Australia, where doctors are attracted by higher salaries and a lower cost of living.
Several major highways remained closed Thursday evening and residents in parts of the South Island remained on alert as rivers rose and threatened to burst their banks. Winds were expected to ease by Friday, although authorities urged travelers to exercise caution.
Bans on fireworks and fires have been enacted across much of the country and will remain in effect for the rest of the week, the national fire service said. High winds fanned wildfires during storms Monday and Thursday, and firefighters had been unable to put out the worst of the blazes by Thursday evening.
New Zealand’s geographic location at southern latitudes and the mountain ranges that stretch throughout the country can produce wild weather throughout the year.
