Severe weather - including gale-force winds, snow, heavy rain and high swells - has battered the North Island, leading to fallen trees, slips, power cuts, grounded flights and emergency callouts.

Some North Island regions will get up to 13 hours of rain across the day.

It has been a wet start to the day for much of the upper North Island, with heavy rain pelting Auckland, Northland and Great Barrier.

Snow may fall to low levels across parts of the South Island overnight.

High winds and heavy swells in the lower North and upper South Islands could cause some disruption.

Strong winds are battering the North and Upper South Islands, cancelling ferrys and flights, closing highways, and cutting power to homes.

Heavy rain, damaging winds and snow are forecast across New Zealand.

Dozens of flights to and from Wellington are being cancelled as heavy winds cut power, damage roofs and prompt emergency callouts around the country.

'Hurricane-force' winds have been measured on The Brothers islands in the Cook Strait.

Flights in and out of Wellington have been cancelled, causing travel chaos.

Severe weather - including gale-force winds, snow, heavy rain and high swells - has battered the North Island, leading to fallen trees, slips, power cuts, grounded flights and…

A powerful storm has brought Wellington to a standstill, grounding flights and leaving thousands without power

National weather agency warns of heavy rain and winds up to 120kph

The weather across the North Island is not expected to be as wild as it has been.