New Caledonia has announced a mass security mobilisation and a curfew for residents tonight after a protest turned into a violent riot in the country's capital overnight.

The French territory's Noumea International Airport is reportedly closed due to the riots, with flight tracker showing no planes have landed at the airport since 4 pm yesterday.

The only flight from Australia due to land in Noumea today is Qantas Flight 8693, which is still scheduled to land in the capital at 4.20 pm from Sydney.

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The rioters damaged shops, pharmacies, car dealerships and video surveillance cameras, a statement from the High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia said.

"Very intense public order disturbances took place last night in Nouméa and in neighbouring towns, and are still ongoing at this time, massively mobilising internal security and civil security forces," the High Commission said in a French statement, converted to English.

"Many injuries have been reported among the police. No serious injuries were reported among the population."

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Police have made 36 arrests and a curfew is being put in place from 4 pm tonight until 6 am tomorrow, which will ban any gatherings in the area, weapons being carried and a ban on the sale of alcohol throughout the country.

"The High Commissioner condemns in the strongest terms these acts of violence, constituting serious attacks on people and property," the statement said.

No cruise ships are expected to dock in Noumea (Grande Terre Island New Caledonia) this week.

Local media is reporting that the country has not experienced violence for many years.

It's believed the constitutional bill aimed at expanding the electorate triggered the riots.

It began as a "peaceful mobilisation" but it became out of control, according to France Info.

More than 200 fires were reportedly started.

New Zealand media is reporting Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters will postpone his trip to the country.

The pilot of a plane is celebrating tonight after he was forced to make a wheels-up landing at Newcastle Airport after a mechanical failure.

The plane, believed to be a Beech B-200 Super King, had two passengers on board, a 60-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, from Tuggerah on the Central Coast.

The plane took off from the airport at about 8.30am, police confirmed, and was headed towards Port Macquarie.

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However, after reporting an issue with the landing gear, 53-year-old Queensland pilot Peter Schott elected to stay around Newcastle and attempt to land.

Emergency services, including multiple fire engines and ambulances, were on standby at the scene.

Schott circled in the air until shortly after noon, when he executed a wheels-up landing.

"I would have done this exercise for students, I don't know 200, 300 times, so it was quite textbook," he told 9News exclusively.

The pilot was praised after everybody on board escaped unhurt.

Tonight, Schott is celebrating.

"I'll have a wine, I think," he said.

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Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said the two passengers had been able to drive home.

"It was a great result, really well done by the pilot," he said.

"I could hear him on the air, he sounded very calm to me."

Humphrey said everybody at the command station for the operation had applauded when the aircraft landed safely.

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All flights out of the airport will be cancelled as it remains closed for about 24 hours while the plane is retrieved.

Eastern Air Services praised the pilot for an "exceptional" job.

They confirmed the Australian Transport Safety Bureau would investigate the incident.

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The heartbroken family of a woman killed in a head-on crash in Melbourne's south-east has remembered her as a caring mother and a fighter.

Zamira Hussainpoor, 35, was just a block away from home when her car was allegedly hit by a P-plater hooning on Glasscocks Road in Hampton Park last week.

Her 13-year-old son, Husnain, had been waiting to be picked up and ran out to her aid when he heard sirens from emergency services.

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"He walked to the crime scene and saw the car himself," brother-in-law Abdur-Rahman Butler told 9News.

"He said 'Mum always told me … if anything happens to me, don't cry'. He's tried to be strong."

Hussainpoor was killed and her passenger, a female colleague, was injured.

"There's a lot of anger and frustration," Butler said.

"Completely untimely and shocking. I don't think any of us have processed it fully yet."

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Hussainpoor was a refugee from Afghanistan and survived domestic violence. Her family remembered her as a fighter who lived for her son.

"Classic older sister. Caring, motherly in her own way … Tender but also very playful," Butler said. 

The P-plater, a 20-year-old man, was left fighting for his life in hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Police, who have been unable to formally interview him, are investigating reports he had been speeding and driving erratically just moments before the crash.

Anyone with information or has CCTV or dash cam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The victims claim Kiwibank failed to monitor the account or carry out due diligence.

Whale bone is taonga and was taken before appropriate protocols and tikanga were observed.

The widow of a beloved truckie who was killed in South Australia's far-west has reached a new milestone in her fight for change after the deadly Eyre Highway crash.

Delphine Mugridge's husband Neville was one of three truck drivers who died on the job last month, a tragedy which prompted her to start a petition to call for heavy vehicle licences to require more experience and knowledge of Australian roads.

She has since reached her goal of more than 15,000 signatures and said she plans to present her road safety campaign to the state's transport minister.

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The development comes more than a week after Delphine laid her husband to rest at a funeral which included a convoy of trucks at the beginning of the wake.

"It was a lovely service for him, it was fitting for the person he was," she said.

Tributes flowed from across the trucking industry and wider Australian community upon news of the 77-year-old's death.

Neville, known to many as "Slim", spent more than five decades in the trucking industry and was considered a mentor to a younger generation of drivers.

To Delphine, Slim had "a heart of gold" and worked hard to make ends meet.

"He was a kind-hearted gentleman, someone I loved and he loved me back," she said.

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Thirty-four people have died in crashes across South Australia so far this year and behind each figure is a face.

Delphine and Slim met in Brisbane back in 1966 on the street where she worked and he lived.

Delphine said her mother attempted to discourage their budding romance but the pair "used to sneak in some dates without her knowing".

Eventually Slim moved to South Australia and married another woman in 1972, while Delphine stayed in Queensland and married another man in 1981.

Years later, when Delphine was no longer with her husband, she was encouraged to reach out to Slim again.

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She placed an ad in a local Adelaide newspaper in 2014 from Queensland in the hope of reconnecting with him.

It was a long shot — Delphine said Slim lived with dyslexia and didn't read the newspaper, but she still held out hope one of his friends would see her message.

To her luck, they did and that ad brought the two back together.

Delphine flew to South Australia to visit Slim for a few weeks – but never left.

The two ended up getting married on Delphine's 70th birthday.

The couple spent years together but when they had to be apart, Slim would call his wife from the road several times a day.

But last month she waited for a call that never came.

"He normally rang me up at eight in the morning," she said.

"I saw on the internet there was a major crash and I was about to text him about it."

It was soon after this she saw one of the employees from his trucking company at her gate and her heart sank.

Two hours later a police officer arrived and confirmed the news.

Since the day of the crash, Delphine has vowed to join the fight for change to help other families avoid the same pain she has experienced.

According to the latest data from Safe Work Australia road and rail drivers accounted for the most deaths between 2003 and 2022 of any occupation around the country.

"Inexperienced drivers are causing near misses and fatal accidents far too often," Delphine told petition supporters.

"A huge number of drivers are considering hanging up their boots wondering who will be next to die."

Delphine is campaigning for drivers to gain more experience before holding different classes of truck licenses.

A 47-year-old man has been charged with murder.

An Australian on holiday in Bali may never return home as he faces the prospect of being charged with drug trafficking.

Port Lincoln man Troy Smith was detained 13 days ago by Indonesian police accused of drug possession, but it can now be revealed he is accused of smuggling some into the country as well.

The 49-year-old's lawyer has told 9News that Smith attempted to flee police before being arrested, with one officer firing a warning shot at the South Australian.

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"He got the scar because he fell down," he said.

Smith has been in custody for almost two weeks and is accused of possessing more than three grams of methamphetamine in his resort room.

A smaller quantity of 0.04 grams is accused of being in Smith's possession when he arrived in Bali from Australia.

Drug possession carries a jail sentence of between one and 12 years in Indonesia, while trafficking or importation can see the death sentence imposed. 

However, because Smith was allegedly found with less than five grams, it's understood he won't be fronted with such a severe punishment, and will instead face life in prison.

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Balinese police addressed the media during a press conference, the first time authorities have spoken publicly about Smith's arrest.

"Indonesia is very strict with narcotics," they said via a translation through Smith's lawyer.

The Australian man was absent from the press conference, his lawyer saying he is mentally unwell and is expected to be admitted to hospital.

"Mentally he is not okay… he is still struggling," his lawyer said.

Smith had been holidaying with his new wife, Tracy, whose attempt to visit him in custody today was denied.

The Port Lincoln local is cooperating with police as investigations continue. 

Official charges are expected to be laid once police complete their inquiries.

The drug dealer, who was also caught with cannabis, has forfeited the cash.

The devastated parents of a four-year-old boy who drowned in a lagoon in Melbourne's south-east are calling for action to be taken to prevent another tragedy.

The parents of Ali Aminzadah, who drowned in a lagoon in Officer yesterday, have spoken to 9News off-camera and said they are furious about the way the body of water is fenced.

Their beloved little boy, who they have remembered as a "fun-loving" child with a "big smile", was playing at a family member's house in Officer when he disappeared yesterday afternoon.

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Emergency services were called to Lagoon Row about 5pm after Ali was found unresponsive in the water.

He died at the scene.

His parents have told 9News they were visiting relatives in Officer, after making the trip down from Swan Hill.

They have said they are furious about the thin wire fencing around the lagoon and have called for Cardinia council to change it.

In a statement, Cardinia Shire Mayor Jack Kowarzik extended his deepest sympathies to the child's family on behalf of the Cardinia Shire community.

"This is absolutely tragic news," he said.

"On behalf of Council and the local community, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the boy's family during this devastating time.

"The Cardinia Shire community has been deeply affected by this terrible incident happening so close to home.

"I'd also like to acknowledge the impact of this incident on first responders, and the valiant efforts of emergency services personnel who attended the scene."

Police say the death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.