Cyclones rarely make landfall in New Zealand. That is not the anticipated outcome this year.

Most cyclones (click here) in the southern hemisphere that effect New Zealand are primarily offshore with diminished but strong winds reaching land. This is a new event anticipated by New Zealand.

January 8, 2015
By Vaimoana Tapaleao

...There is a high chance a tropical (click here) cyclone could hit the country sometime over the next few months, a report released by the national climate centre said today.
Niwa's climate outlook for January, February and March shows sea temperatures are expected to be warmer than usual in the Tasman Sea to the west and south of the country - but near normal to the east of the North Island.
It also points to a high probability that there may be some tropical weather systems heading down under soon.
"New Zealand has a slightly elevated chance of having an ex-tropical system coming within 550km of the country during the 2014-15 Tropical Cyclone season."
The outlook for tropical cyclones shows that the risk for New Zealand will be highest around February through to April....