A New Zealander who saw the Sydney siege unfold has described seeing people cowering on their knees only moments after a gunman took them hostage.

Aucklanders can be confident the measures Sydney has in place to deal with hostage or terrorism emergencies would be available here - but on a smaller scale, a senior police source says.

The siege comes months after Australia's biggest ever counter-terrorism raids and follows repeated warnings by ASIO, the domestic spy agency, of the growing threat of a homegrown domestic....

The country’s highest Islamic office holder has condemned the actions of a gunman responsible for a hostage situation in Sydney’s CBD.

A flurry of loud bangs erupted just after 4am NZ time as a swarm of heavily armed police stormed a downtown Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages.

As the Sydney siege threatens to open up old prejudices, hashtag #illridewithyou has led a call for unity.

Here's what we know now about the situation in Sydney where a gunman has seized hostages.

The hostage drama in central Sydney has shut down the city's CBD. Click here for live updates from AAP.

Bruno was turning up for his shift as a barista and waiter when he was ushered away at the door by police.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is urging Australians to go about their lives as normal despite the terrorist siege in Sydney’s CBD.

Qantas is diverting its planes away from central Sydney to free up space for authorities dealing with the siege in a city cafe.

Click here for the latest photos from the scene, where more than a dozen hostages are being held at gunpoint in a Sydney cafe.

Qantas' spate of incidents is "unusual" but there's no evidence of slipping safety standards, an aviation expert says.

A fourth Qantas plane has been forced to turn back mid-flight, marking a second day of trouble for the airline - but its boss says "it happens all the time".

Two children and their mothers have been flown from rising flood waters on the NSW coast as wild storms batter the region.

If you're going to be whacked by a golf ball, it may as well be hit by one of the greats, finds Cameron McMillan.

Cricketer Phil Hughes’ condition remains critical after he underwent further scans on Wednesday.

The moment an elderly man fell 25 metres from a cruise ship travelling between Auckland and Sydney was caught on a CCTV camera.

Travel disasters give us great stories, but drama-free holidays are golden, writes Tristram Clayton.

For sale: 287 homes, most in spitting distance of Sydney's Opera House. Wanted: Somewhere to shift a low-income, angry community.

Four brothers slipped out of Australia last week to join the fight with Islamic State (Isis) in Syria.

Catherine Smith gets acquainted - or tries to - with modern Sydney's original Australians, whose cultures are undergoing rediscovery.

A giant pink condom has been erected in Sydney’s Hyde Park as part of a campaign to promote HIV awareness.

A Kiwi air traveller wrestled with a crazed passenger who tried to force open an emergency aircraft door mid-flight between Vietnam and Australia.

A powerful storm has ripped through the Australian state of New South Wales, causing flooding, lightning strikes and dumping 15cm of snow in inland areas.

Sculptures strung like pearls around Bondi are fascinating, writes Catherine Smith.

Sydney returned to the "bad old days" with a weekend of booze-fuelled violence in the streets, St Vincent's Hospital's head of emergency says.

A man has died and two others are in a critical condition after being stabbed in Sydney’s southwest.