Owners of a family-run hair salon on Auckland’s North Shore are distraught after thieves ransacked the interior, allegedly loaded up wheelie bins with stolen items and crammed them into a van. Black on White salon has been operating…

By Russell Palmer of RNZ The Government kept councils guessing for months about whether they would be forced into Three Waters reforms, having already agreed to pursue such a strategy, papers show.The National Party says it…

Queensland has recorded nine new cases of COVID-19, including six that were infectious while in the Gold Coast community, with new contract tracing alerts issued.

"Today is the day we have been planning for," Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said.

Three cases are in quarantine. Two are from interstate, and one is from overseas.

LIVE UPDATES: Hundreds of new virus cases in NSW; ADF ditch helicopter fleet

New contact tracing alerts have been issued as Queensland Health continues to track the movements of those infected.

Residents who visited exposure sites in Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, Miami, Tugun and Ashmore recently may be identified as close or casual contacts.

One of today's cases is a student at Broadbeach State School which has been closed.

A message was sent about 7.30am today notifying parents of the case.

A member of a band that played in Byron Bay is also one of today's new cases.

https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1469103528354324480

His bandmates have already left and travelled to Western Australia.

A female who is a close contact of the band member has also tested positive to COVID-19.

There have also been confirmed cases at the Currumbin Bakehouse. That has now been closed for cleaning today.

Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Peter Aitken has urged people in the Gold Coast to wear masks, get tested, check in to venues, and get vaccinated.

The state reached the 80 per cent double dose vaccine milestone yesterday nearly a week earlier than expected.

The vaccination rate comes as the Queensland government moves forward the state's border reopening date to December 13, despite the discovery of a new "stealth" variant of Omicron COVID-19.

Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said Queensland Police, in collaboration with Queensland Health, had been preparing for an outbreak on the Gold Coast.

He said the city's vaccination rate was not yet high enough.

"Now is the time I cannot stress that enough," he said.

"Reminding people now go and see a medical professional, not the internet, to address any concerns."

Borders to open from 1am on Monday

He said police were preparing for borders to open next week from 1am Monday, December 13.

"In relation to the operations themselves, checkpoints will look exactly the same but how they operate as of 1am Monday will be quite different," Acting Chief Superintendent Wildman said.

He said works were in place to regulate what's expected to be heavy traffic crossing the border, particularly in the first two days of opening.

For fully vaccinated border residents who can now cross into Queensland, Acting Chief Superintendent Wildman encouraged early download of their X/XR border declaration pass.

"Have this visibly displayed on your dash for entry into Queensland," he said.

"This will help police to not only manage traffic flows but to determine which vehicles need to be intercepted.

"Even a few seconds delay for each vehicle slows everything down."

He added while actions would be taken to manage traffic, with more staff called to operate border checkpoints, everyone crossing the border should be prepared to be stopped by police.

"You can be stopped any time you cross into the Queensland border."

An overtired driver who fatally hit a Melbourne school principal as she was cycling, then fled the scene, has been jailed for almost a decade.

Chris Hyslop, 37, was sentenced to nine years and six months' jail before the County Court on Friday, having pleaded guilty to charges including culpable driving causing death on the basis of gross negligence and fatigue.

The court heard the father-of-three had been on a "significant drug binge" and had hardly slept in the days before he killed South Oakleigh College principal Deborah Locco on May 24 last year.

READ MORE: Man charged after teen driver set on fire in alleged Melbourne road rage attack

He had made a number of trips in his car earlier in the day, and was seen driving erratically prior to the crash.

The court heard other drivers had seen him veer out of his lane and driving "all over the road" before the collision, and that his passenger had asked him if he was alright to be driving.

Dashcam footage from a car that was travelling in front of him showed his car veer out of its lane 14 times before the fatal incident.

Hyslop was then driving southbound on Beach Road in Beaumaris about 5.17pm when his car drifted into the bike lane, where it travelled for about 30m, before it mounted a traffic island, drove over a grass patch, and hit Ms Locco from behind.

The 60-year-old had been cycling in the road's designated bike lane and was equipped with flashing lights.

The court heard Hyslop's passenger told him to stop, but he fled the scene.

He then pulled into a nearby street, parked and ran away on foot.

Witnesses comforted Ms Locco at the scene, but she died from her injuries.

Hyslop had a history of driving and dishonesty offences, with Judge Elizabeth Brimer declaring his driving record to be "appalling".

Judge Brimer said Hyslop's sleep deprivation rendered him "incapable of driving safely"

"Ms Locco's death is solely attributable to your actions in diving your car while impaired by fatigue," she said.

"The dash cam footage is disturbing in its illumination of just how likely it was that something would go wrong."

The court heard Hyslop claimed he had no memory of the collision and expert advice supported the idea he may have fallen asleep.

Judge Brimer said general deterrance was an important factor in sentencing, ordering Hyslop serve a minimum of six years and nine months' jail before becoming eligible for parole.

He had already served 564 days of the sentence.

Dozens of children have been evacuated from a Sydney childcare centre after floodwaters inundated the site.

The garden and hallways of the Leaping Learners Early Education Centre in Leumeah filled with floodwaters this morning.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and emergency services helped to evacuate the kids from the building with assistance from the childcare workers as well.

READ MORE: Woman's body recovered from NSW floodwaters, more wet weather to come

Parents were contacted to collect their children.

There were scenes of relief as parents were reunited with their little ones.

The parents told 9News they had been "very worried" when they found out the centre was flooded.

When one parent was asked if she expected this to happen when she dropped her child off this morning, she said "no, definitely not".

"You know what, it happens and it's a great centre and they look after us all," a parent said.

READ MORE: Fears for missing father as bushfires rage in Western Australia

The flash flooding comes after a snap storm hit parts of Sydney this morning, bringing heavy rain and large hailstones.

"I didn't even see it happen, I walked out of the office and it was flooded," another parent said.

More wet weather is expected to lash NSW this weekend.

Rod Clifton was more than happy to assist motorists when part of Te Horo Beach Rd was closed because of flooding.Rod, 76, estimated he ferried between 30 to 50 vehicles across the section of road slightly west of Pukenamu Rd, which…

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.

A Californian man has had an encounter with what he thinks could be the largest sunfish on record.

Rich German, from Laguna Beach in Orange County, was paddle-boarding earlier this week when he came across the "interesting creature" in a marine protected area.

Speaking to 9News.com.au, Mr German said the sunfish, also known as a mola mola, was "massive".

READ MORE: Dozens of Australian animals listed as endangered overnight

"It was almost twice as big as other ones I've seen, we're guesstimating it was about nine to ten feet (2.7 to 3 metres) big," he said.

"If you look at the photo you can see that board is 14 feet (4.2 metres) long.

"It was a really big fish. It was amazing."

READ MORE: Giant sunfish spotted off Bondi Beach

Ocean sunfish are found in tropical and temperate waters around the globe.

They are the heaviest bony fish in the world and typically eat jellyfish.

The biggest sunfish on record measured 2.72 metres (8 feet 11 inches) long and was caught off Japan.

Mr German said he's encountered sunfish before but was surprised this one was so close, about 200 metres from shore.

He explained he usually sees them a couple kilometres out.

"They look like a mutilated alien shark that has been bit in half," he said.

"They're so bizarre-looking.

"They're extremely docile and just lay there."

Ahead of a mid-pandemic holiday period, one clinical psychologist is encouraging people to think ahead if they are looking to avoid Covid-19 dinner table arguments.Getting ready for a Covid-19 summer is not easy; with complicated…

A young child has died in a coastal tragedy off Napier’s Marine Parade. Emergency services were called at about 3.30pm after receiving a report a child was in difficulty in the sea off Napier South.Despite the efforts of four…