Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA severe storm hit central New Zealand on Friday, causing significant disruption across the region. Thousands of households experienced power outages, with Wellington Electricity reporting 4,000 customers without power and warning of further disruptions. The storm brought heavy rain, leading to flooded roads and two landslides in Lower Hutt, northeast of Wellington. Winds reached up to 120kph, with some parts of the country recording gusts exceeding 150kph overnight. Around 200 flights were cancelled at Wellington Airport, and Air New Zealand halted all domestic flights to and from the capital. In fullHundreds of flights cancelled and power knocked out as storm batters New ZealandThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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

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