In the process, it's become the biggest opening for a film this year, beating the wildly popular Fifty Shades of Grey.
F&F7 also performed well overseas, with an eye-popping $147.2 million (NZ$195.3m) from 4004 locations, box office firm Rentrak reported.
The latest installment in Universal's homegrown franchise also solidified its place as the ninth biggest opening of all time, right behind Spider-Man 3's US$151 million (NZ$200.3m) bow in 2007.
The film, which was delayed from its original July 2014 release date following Walker's death in November 2013, could be the first in the series to hit US$1 billion.
Top 10 opening weekends (NZ):
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2. Fast and Furious 7
3. Twilight Saga: New Moon
4. Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
6. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
7. Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
8. Iron Man 3
9. Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers
10. Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
- nzherald.co.nz with AP