New Zealanders are on edge as the exact movements of a British DJ infected with Omicron are yet to be ironed out, and a second case has been active in the community. Large crowds will be allowed to gather in Auckland for the first…

A modern-day Icarus surfing with a kite flew so close to Hawke’s Bay Airport on Tuesday that a medical flight was delayed and the coastguard called out.Hawke’s Bay Coastguard skipper Henry van Tuel said the coastguard was told by…

The holiday rush has begun across parts of the North Island as holidaymakers head away to begin their summer breaks.Vehicles have clogged the highway heading to the Coromandel township of Tairua today. The transport agency has warned…

Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz for the morning quiz tomorrow. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins was nearly half an hour late to the press conference he fronted at 11am today – and his mum, with whom he has been staying, made sure to come out and apologise to the waiting media.Hipkins…

Businesses in Sydney's CBD fear exploding levels of daily COVID-19 cases will blunt the economic return of New Year's Eve, traditionally the city's biggest night of the year.

From restaurants to harbour cruise operators, many businesses are seeing mass cancellations despite insistence from the state government the fireworks will go ahead.

Sudhir Warrier from the Australian Cruise Group said COVID-19 fears mean only 25 per cent of seats available on his boats to watch the fireworks have sold.

LIVE UPDATES: Blaze breaks out at Old Parliament House

"In 2019, we had 2500 guests on the harbour on New Year's Eve cruises across 12 boats," Mr Warrier told Today.

"This year we have sold just over 600 seats. So we're probably sitting around 25 per cent of the seats sold and we are hoping for a last-minute rush."

Mr Warrier said his business and the entire industry has been enduring "a terrible year" and the dependency operators have on New Year's Eve mean many won't be profitable.

"I mean, every cruise operator looks forward to New Year's Eve. It's the greatest event, big fireworks, most boats are full and it's a great financial incentive for the entire industry," Mr Warrier said.

"Last year we had the Northern Beaches outbreak and this year, you know, Omicron has come at the wrong time. I mean, generally 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the bookings come in December. So more than cancellations, what we have is bookings have completely dried up."

READ MORE: Sydney hospitality venues and cruises see New Year's Eve ticket sales plummet amid COVID-19 surge

While some businesses are being hurt by customer cancellations, others have been forced to shutter their doors for NYE as tough isolation rules – or long waits for PCR results – mean staff are stuck at home.

Shell House in Sydney's CBD has been forced to close its doors after the latest outbreak meant not enough staff could be brought in to work, with the hospitality venue shutting up shop until January 5, 2022.

"We have made the difficult decision to close our doors to Shell House for the rest of the year. The latest outbreak has been a blow to us and sadly means that we do not have the team members needed to provide the level of service we expect to deliver to all of our guests," the restaurant and bar told followers on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXw2jZUPy5a/

"We will be contacting all guests who have a reservation to help you rearrange your bookings in the New Year.

"It's with a heavy heart that we also announce the cancellation of our NYE party. A tough decision to make, but considering the current COVID situation rapidly unfolding it's the responsible thing for us to do.

"The health and safety of our guests, staff, friends and family trumps everything else."

READ MORE: Sydney's New Year's Eve vantage points could close due to COVID-19

While both the 9pm and midnight fireworks will go ahead, Sydney NYE organisers have said they may be forced to limit crowd numbers at popular vantage points.

"We will react to any changes in the public health order and amend our plans as we need to ensure people stay safe," Stephen Gilby, executive producer of NYE celebrations, said.

"We will be operating under the public health orders NSW Health has issued and every different vantage point or function or event that is happening will also be operating under those health orders.

"We have six vantage points that are all in outdoor parks, but we are operating those on a one person per two square metres basis."

New South Wales daily COVID-19 cases have jumped by another thousand while testing numbers have plunged by almost 60,000 results.

The state recorded 12,226 infections overnight and one further death.

A woman in her 70s from the Central Coast died with COVID-19 at Wyong Hospital.

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https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1476312095817801729

She was a resident of Hakea Grove Aged Care facility where she caught the virus.

The testing rate fell significantly in the state yesterday, with just over 97,000 people getting tested.

This is almost 60,000 fewer tests than Tuesday where the state recorded almost 158,000 tests.

It comes as long testing lines continue for yet another consecutive day, with some people reportedly being turned away as queues reach capacity.

Testing clinics across Sydney look like carparks as people queue for PCR tests.

Some sites like Maroubra had cars lining up for hours before the clinic even opened.

Hospitalisations climbed to 746, up more than 100 on the previous day.

But there are just 63 people in intensive care.

NSW Health yesterday issued a warning to holiday travellers that they are unlikely to get their PCR tests back in time to cross the border into Queensland or Tasmania.

People have been urged to avoid PCR testing queues unless they have symptoms, in order to ease the burden on health workers who have been overwhelmed in recent days.

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Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said yesterday that there were likely to be many more cases in the community that had not been detected.

Infections are doubling every "two to four days" in the state as testing messaging has taken an about-face in a new phase of the pandemic.

However, currently just 0.1 per cent of the 61,000 known active cases in the state are in intensive care.

READ MORE: National Cabinet to tackle massive testing queues, 'close contacts'

NSW Health will also no longer be reaching out to close contacts, with residents infected being expected to communicate the message to those they think they've exposed.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has flagged changes to close contact definitions will be discussed at National Cabinet today.

"We are looking forward to a discussion in relation to changes to be made in relation to close contact definitions in isolation," he said.

Mr Perrottet believes a "national approach" to close contact definitions would be the best approach.

NSW's daily cases reached 11,201 yesterday, almost doubling in 24 hours.

Police in Branson, Missouri, say they've identified the remains of David Koenig, an amateur mixed martial arts fighter, who had been missing for almost two years.

The skeletal remains were found in the woods last week by a man who was looking for deer antlers, the Branson Police Department announced in a statement.

Investigators from the police and coroner's office found some of his personal belongings while searching the area and a forensic dentist confirmed it was Mr Koenig, who was 25 when he went missing.

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Mr Koenig was last seen on February 8, 2020, and was reported missing that March.

"We are just heartbroken," his mother Tracy Koenig said in a statement to CNN.

"And although Dave's been missing/gone for 22 months, it doesn't make it any easier. What we are feeling now is just indescribable pain."

She said she had feared her son had been killed, but that it was still hard to learn that he had died alone.

A forensic pathologist found no trauma during an examination and determined that "the death did not appear to be the result of foul play," police said in the statement.

"I'm hoping that that helps ease a little bit of the burden," Assistant Police Chief Eric Schmitt told CNN affiliate KYTV in Springfield.

The Taney County coroner's office told CNN that Mr Koenig's manner of death is undetermined and the cause is unknown.

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After Mr Koenig was reported missing, Branson police worked with several law enforcement areas and conducted multiple searches of properties in Taney and Stone counties in Missouri and across the state line in Boone County, Arkansas, police said in their statement.

Two of these searches included excavations of suspicious areas of disturbed earth.

Mr Koenig's mother is an admin of a 14,000 member Facebook group that has organised searches for her son and shared information on the case.

Loved ones described Mr Koenig as a big man with an even bigger heart.

"Training with him was always a pleasure. He cared about the group and was always there to listen and support his team mates. Truly a gentle giant," said JT Tilley, the head coach at Branson Fight Club.

Mr Koenig's dad Rick runs a martial arts gym in Branson and said he trained his son in the sport his entire life.

"I mean, since he was a baby he grew up on the mats," he said.

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He said his son was his best friend.

David was working toward becoming a professional fighter. He lost his first fight after Injuring his feet in the cage, but then won his next five fights, his dad said.

"He was on the right path to do great things," Rick Koenig said, adding that his son "was a phenomenal man."

Mr Koenig's mom said "he lived his life like a rockstar" and was everyone's friend.

"He was that guy you meet once and never, ever forget," she wrote.

"He was an incredible person with so much left to give, and I'm so incredibly proud to call him my son."

The year 2021 has been marked by many weather extremes across Australia.

From heavy rainfall that forced people in Queensland to evacuate from floodwaters, to record hot temperatures on Christmas Day in Perth, 2021 had many notable weather events happen.

Here was some of the wild weather that hit the country this year.

READ MORE: Most of Australia to enjoy sunny skies for New Year's Eve

Extreme heat

Even though La Niña minimised the amount of heatwaves in many parts of the country this year, there were still areas that recorded extremely hot weather.

In Mardie in Western Australia temperatures reached 47.9C on December 20, which was one of the highest temperatures recorded in Australia this year, according to Weatherzone.

Multiple other places also exceeded 47C including Port Hedland, Mandora and Roebourne.

Perth ended up recording its hottest Christmas Day on records, with parts of the state reaching almost 50C. The state capital's previous Christmas Day record was 42C in 1968, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

READ MORE: Monsoonal rains to sweep northern Queensland as warnings issued

At 7am thermometers were already at 24C and by 9am the mercury hit 30C.

The temperature kept rising and by midday was at 38C. Just before 4pm, temperatures peaked at 42.8C in Perth.

Temperatures continued soaring in Western Australia after Christmas bringing with them another fresh wave of fire warnings.

The two large fires burned at Margaret River and Perth, with at least one home lost in the blazes and a number of structures affected.

High temperatures this year were unable to break the national record for the hottest day, which still stands at 50.7C recorded on January 2, 1960 in Oodnadatta in South Australia.

Cold weather

The lowest temperature of 2021 was -10C recorded at Perisher Valley in New South Wales on July 7.

READ MORE: Old Parliament House in Canberra on fire as protesters swarm site

That kind of cold weather isn't unusual for the Snowy Mountains area during winter.

The -10C temperature is still 13C warmer than Australia's lowest temperature on record, which was -23C on June 29 in 1994 at Charlotte Pass.

Wet weather

Particularly towards the end of this year, heavy rainfall hit parts of the country because of La Niña.

Australia had its wettest November in 122 years.

The wettest place in the country this year was a rain gauge near Byfield in Queensland that registered 550mm during the 24 hours to 9am on March 17.

Many parts of the country were lashed with severe thunderstorms that even resulted in flash flooding.

READ MORE: NSW COVID-19 cases jump to over 12,000

In NSW, flooding became so severe on December 10 that a woman died after getting swept away in raging floodwaters in the Snowy Monaro Region.

On the same day major flooding saw the town centre in the NSW town of Mogo completely submerged.

Multiple flood warnings were in place across parts of Queensland at the beginning of December as severe thunderstorms hit, dumping heavy rainfall over Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and Moreton Bay, and other areas.

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Many residents were even forced to evacuate in areas such as Goondiwindi as floodwaters continued to rise.

-Reported with Weatherzone

Pain now, pleasure later: That's the ethos behind a booming financial movement causing thousands of Australians to shun extravagant purchases for a comfortable, early retirement.

It's called the FIRE movement – or Financial Independence, Retire Early – and eschews the trappings of the proverbial avocado on toast for longer-term financial security.

In a nutshell, FIRE adherents live well below their means and pour any remaining savings into investments that provide returns in the hopes that a person may retire earlier than the Australian retirement aged of 66 years and six months.

READ MORE: Housing boom: Average Aussie home grew by $126,000

Bradley Dalli is the author behind the Aussie Fire Movement blog, and told 9News.com.au that the FIRE movement is as much a lifestyle as it is a financial strategy.

"It all boils down to delayed gratification," Mr Dalli said.

"The basic premise is that through saving money and living frugally, you can invest your money into income-producing assets and then you can use that income to supplement your full-time job.

"Not a lot of people actually end up retiring early, but it's more about having the option to do so."

According to Mr Dalli, the FIRE movement is not just for the super wealthy – it doesn't matter how much a person earns, what job they work or largely even what they invest in.

"Anyone can do it. The main mantra is living below your means and that is simple spending less than you make. And whatever you have left over you invest," Mr Dalli said.

"Uni students are doing it, apprentices are doing it. People who make a lot of money can obviously achieve it easier."

READ MORE: Sydney property prices could fall by 10 per cent by 2023

While many older Australians unintentionally became FIRE adherents via real estate investments, Mr Dalli said many younger investors are looking into a wide range of assets to invest in.

Popular options include stocks, index funds, exchange traded funds and even new-wave asset classes such as cryptocurrencies.

But as the cost-of-living increases, for many households living well below their means requires an almost extreme level of sacrifice.

"I have a pretty frugal lifestyle. Some people do 'house hacking' where they have other people living in their houses to save on rent, a lot of them are minimalist," Mr Dalli said.

"They might not go on holidays when they're young or go out drinking. There's a lot of discipline involved, but the end game is that you can retire early."

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The FIRE movement is booming in Australia, but its origins are almost 30 years old.

Most credit the acronym of the movement to a 1992 book called Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, that prioritised "decluttering" a persons spending and saving money via routine habits rather than strict budgeting.

Mr Dalli said adopting a FIRE movement is "very hard" at first, but grows into a daily habit like exercising or eating healthy.

"It takes on a snowball effect that starts off quite small. But with the power of compounding returns you can actually see your saved money begin to grow at a pretty rapid rate," Mr Dalli said.

"It gives you peace of mind – because if something bad were to happen, if you lose your job or you encounter something unexpected – you've got that money you can fall back on because you lived frugally."

READ MORE: Australians 'sleepwalking into disaster' over mortgage repayments

An ironic side-effect of deliberately living on a shoestring budget is that habits become ingrained: some FIRE adherents have been known to continue working and living frugally despite having the means to attain the end goal of retiring early.

"I think that's probably the biggest issue people have with FIRE is that they spend so many years saving their money that by the time they accumulate it they don't want to spend it," Mr Dalli said.

"For your own sanity I highly recommend having a little balance where you spend some money on yourself and enjoy life.

"Because what I've seen firsthand is that you can take it to an extreme level where you're budgeting everything down to dollars and cents. It's not a healthy way to live that extremely."

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.