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A woman who died after an hours-long siege near Newcastle last week was killed by injuries sustained from a bean bag round fired by police, according to interim post-mortem results.

Just after 12.30pm on September 14, police were called to a block of units in Stockton after reports a woman was allegedly threatening a real estate agent with an axe.

Krista Kach, 47, allegedly also threatened officers with the axe and barricaded herself inside a unit.

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After negotiators spoke with Kach for several hours, tactical officers entered the unit, and they deployed a single bean bag round and a Taser during the arrest.

A bean bag round, classified as a "less than lethal" option by police, is fired from a regular shotgun and is designed to briefly immobilise a suspect during an arrest while being less damaging than a bullet.

The deployment and options available to tactical police must be approved by an assistant commissioner at every incident.

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Kach was able to walk to an ambulance, but her condition deteriorated and she was taken to hospital, where she later died.

NSW Police Acting Commissioner David Hudson said today the interim post-mortem results, which he had been permitted by the coroner to reveal, indicated the woman had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

"It would appear that the bean bag round has entered the body of the deceased and ended up striking her heart," Hudson said.

Hudson said all uses of bean bag rounds had been stopped in NSW while a review was underway.

He said bean bag rounds had been used by NSW police 15 times this year, with no fatal results before Stockton.

"The makers of the device don't specify a range for use of bean bag round," he said.

That will form part of the review.

Hudson said police were also examining how to deal with scenes where the presence of uniformed officers might escalate the situation.

A critical incident investigation into the Stockton siege is currently underway.

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Yesterday, Kach's family described the police response as "disturbing".

"We were assured that the police would look after our mother and that she would be cared for by a hospital and qualified medical professionals," the family said in a statement.

"Our mother was not a dangerous person, she has lived through difficult circumstances but she was a loving and capable person that cared for people and her family.

"The only person in danger when the police broke into our mother's home and the many hours leading up to that moment was our mother."

The family said Kach was a strong independent woman who cared deeply about her loved ones and community.

"She had experienced some mental distress in her life because her life was quite tough, but she was well connected with her own health and her family were advocating for her wellbeing with the police prior to the shooting incident," the family said.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has formally declared an El Niño event, increasing the likelihood of a hot and dry summer and elevating the bushfire risk.

The declaration for the first time in about eight years came two months after the United Nations' World Meteorological Organisation had previously declared El Niño's arrival, predicting hot weather and tumbling temperature records.

Dr Karl Braganza from the BoM declared the event is "here" after it ticked over for the first time last week.

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Meteorologists were waiting another week for the pattern to settle and confirmed this was the case this week.

"This summer will be hotter than average and certainly hotter than the last three years," Braganza said.

The El Niño declaration has also been made by the US Climate Prediction Centre and the Japan Meteorological Agency.

It comes as parts of eastern Australia record their hottest-ever September temperatures.

A swathe of schools have been shut down on the NSW South Coast, after the fire danger rating was elevated to catastrophic by the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Firefighters in Queensland battled two fast-moving bushfires on Sunday, which resulted in the evacuation of residents from their homes.

Australia's last El Niño event occurred during the summer of 2015-16.

Climate model outlooks suggest the El Niño period is likely to continue until at least the end of the southern hemisphere summer at the end of February.

The formal outlook will remain at El Niño level until the event wanes or signs of a possible La Niña appear.

Conditions for an El Niño event have met the required three of four criteria, the bureau said.

"Oceanic indicators firmly exhibit an El Niño state," it said in its climate driver update today.

"Central and eastern Pacific sea surface temperatures continue to exceed El Niño thresholds.

"Models indicate further warming of the central to eastern Pacific is likely.

"Overall, there are signs that the atmosphere is responding to the pattern of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific and coupling of the ocean and atmosphere has started to occur.

"This coupling is a characteristic of an El Niño event and is what strengthens and sustains an event for an extended period."

The BoM's criteria to declare an El Niño include: a sea surface temperature that is 0.8 degrees warmer than average; trade winds that are weaker than average in the western or central equatorial Pacific Ocean during any three of the last four months; and a three-month average Southern Oscillation Index of –7 or lower; and a majority of surveyed climate models show sustained warming to at least 0.8 degrees above average in key Pacific regions.

What is the difference between El Niño and La Niña?

The cycle of La Niña and El Niño – known as ENSO, or the El Niño-Southern Oscillation index – works a bit like a pendulum. 

La Niña occurs when water in the eastern tropical region of the Pacific Ocean is cooler than average as the "trade winds" – the planet's prevailing east-to-west winds – strengthen, creating warmer-than-normal water around Indonesia and Australia's east coast.

This leads to increased rainfall and brings the risk of heavy flooding in Australia.

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However, when those conditions are reversed – trade winds are weaker, and water is warmer than average in the eastern tropical Pacific but cooler close to Australia – an El Niño is declared, and our continent will experience hot, dry conditions and come under the threat of drought.

When the "pendulum" sits in the middle and ocean temperatures are closer to average, it is referred to as "neutral" ENSO conditions – and it is more likely to bring less extreme weather conditions.

And, if you're wondering what the two terms actually mean, "La Niña" is Spanish for "the girl" or "little girl", while "El Niño" translates to "the boy" or "little boy".

The driver frequently drove backwards and in the wrong direction down multiple streets.

Methamphetamine psychosis was said to be a factor of the offending.

At least 40 wedding guests who attended a reception in inner Melbourne on Saturday night are battling suspected food poisoning.

9News has been told the guests ate chicken and pork at the celebration at Albert Park reception venue The Park before they became violently ill on Sunday night.

Some of the affected guests, who included children as young as four and five and elderly people, have been taken to hospital.

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The Victorian Department of Health has confirmed it is investigating "a gastroenteritis outbreak" among the wedding guests.

"We're working with Port Phillip Council to investigate the source of the outbreak and to ensure all appropriate infection prevention and control measures are in place," a spokesperson said.

The department confirmed the outbreak was not believed to be linked in any way to a nationwide listeria outbreak.

The Park's venue manager has said the venue's team is also investigating the guests' illnesses.

"We are working closely with event guests and with council to determine the cause of the outbreak," the manager said in a statement.

"Council have confirmed we are approved to trade post precautionary deep clean."

Queenstown Lakes District Council issued a boil water notice to residents yesterday.

Garth Michael Reid was welcomed into his girlfriend's Christmas Day festivities, but when her family tried to stop him from driving drunk he stabbed her father.

Warren Toby's family remember his last night alive as one spent having fun playing games, eating, drinking and generally feeling good about life.

They had affection and concern for Reid, now 35, who may have wanted to be alone as he sadly reflected on his brother's death and his troubled family situation, Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Peter Callaghan said.

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"But you did accept the goodwill of Warren Toby and his family, only to repay them by taking one life and changing forever the lives of others," he told Reid in sentencing him on Tuesday.

The conflict at the North Ipswich home began when Toby and other family members insisted Reid should not drive because of the alcohol he had consumed.

After taking Reid into their home out of concern for his emotional wellbeing, the family acted out of concern that he not get into trouble with the law, put himself at risk or be a danger to the community.

"Their motives were pure and reflected their feeling for you and their responsible attitude towards society," Justice Callaghan added.

"There was no attempt to get you to stay for any reason other than that no one wanted you to drink-drive."

During the conflict that followed Reid got a knife and inflicted at least two horrific wounds on the 55-year-old father, who was described as a quiet, unassuming and gentle man.

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Justice Callaghan found Reid – who suffered no injuries – provoked any assault that came his way.

The court heard it was not the first time Reid had behaved in a "frightening and violent way", having served time behind bars after being convicted in 2010 for another serious act of violence.

He had stayed out of trouble from November 2009 until the Christmas Day killing that followed a job loss and relationship breakdown in 2020.

"This offence had its genesis in your insistence that you should be allowed to break the law and endanger others safety by drink-driving," Justice Callaghan told Reid.

"This was followed by your resentment when good people tried to stop you from doing so."

He sentenced Reid, who has been in custody since the fatal attack, to 11 years behind bars.

Reid was found guilty of manslaughter last month after a nine-day trial in which a jury acquitted him of murder.