Strong winds cut roads and left a trail of damage in New Zealand's South Island regions. Photo: AP PHOTO

Cyclone-strength gusts have lashed New Zealand's South Island and the capital Wellington, creating transport chaos and cutting power.

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A state of emergency was declared in Canterbury due to the wild weather, which ravaged the nation on Thursday.

The spring storm arrived with inauspicious timing: on the day of the funeral for former NZ prime minister Jim Bolger, and the nation's biggest general strike in decades.

Up to 100,000 public servants, teachers and nurses were among profe

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