The new year is slowly sweeping its way across the globe with major cities lighting up to welcome in 2023.
Many cities, for the first time in a few years, can enjoy the new year free of the COVId-19 restrictions that have blighted festivities in the past.
Auckland was the first major city to welcome in 2023 with what was dubbed as its largest fireworks display.
Sky Tower in the center of the city counted down the new year before erupting into a blaze of fireworks that could be seen across Tāmaki Makaurau.
Newshub will be following the celebrations across the world as they happen.
These live updates are now closed - have a happy New Year
1:20pm The display included a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth.
1:10pm Fireworks exploded over England's capital city.
1:00pm It is midnight in the UK and London's traditional firework display has kicked off.
12:40pm People in the centre of Moscow prepared late on Saturday to mark a somewhat muted New Year's Eve without the usual fireworks and celebrations on Red Square, with many saying they wanted peace in 2023.
Authorities closed off the famous cobbled square in the heart of Moscow, citing restrictions to fight COVID-19, and increased the number of police in nearby side streets.
Deprived of the chance to gather on Red Square and watch a traditional New Year's Eve firework display, people walked along the wet streets, looking at Christmas markets, brightly lit storefront displays and trees set up with baubles. - Reuters.
12:10pm And in Berlin, Germany the city was lit up.
12:00 The new year has hit Europe and Paris has seen in 2023 with an eight-minute firework display over the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe.
11:20am It has just passed midnight in Ukraine and it is a subdued New Year's Eve for much of the country, with curfews in place and a recent Russian missile attack.
Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko summed up the situation nicely in a tweet earlier in the evening. She is spending it in a bomb shelter watching Peppa Pig with her daughter.
11:10am And the former British PM Boris Johnson, who resigned from his role in some disgrace last year, has made a few predictions about 2023, including inflation coming down and Putin losing the war in Ukraine.
Johnson stops short of saying what his personal plans are but does say he will be down the pub for New Year's Eve.
11:00am King Charles and the rest of the Royal family have sent out a New Year message accompanied by the King's bagpiper playing the traditional Scottish song Auld Lang Syne.
10:30am New Zealand's police say they were generally pleased with the behaviour of New Year's Eve revellers on Saturday night, despite receiving two the three times the number of calls they normally would on a weekend.
“There were a lot of people out to celebrate the New Year in the usual holiday hotspots, and a large Police presence ensured that any incidents were dealt with quickly", says Acting Commissioner of Police Glenn Dunbier
“Our staff were kept busy with the usual kinds of incidents we often see at this time of the year, but for the most part people out celebrating had a good time and stayed safe.”
In addition to our frontline staff, Communications Centre staff experienced high demand overnight.
At its peak after midnight our comms centre staff were receiving two to three times the call volumes of a usual Saturday night.
“Our comms centre staff are often the unsung heroes of our emergency response and I want to acknowledge the work they do to ensure people get the help they need.”
As people wake-up to the New Year and think about travel, Police urge drivers to be patient and to keep calm on the roads.
“As families start heading home to go back to work or relocate to another holiday location, we remind all drivers to be patient, keep calm and expect delays.
“If you’re feeling fatigued take a break.
There will be high volumes of traffic on the roads and delays will be inevitable at peak times.
"Consider delaying your departure or taking a few extra stops along the way – make the most of summer and get home safely.”
10:10am Thousands gathered in central Wuhan on Saturday night to count down to the start of what many hoped would be a much better year after a "tough" 2022 filled with lockdowns and in December a major new outbreak of the coronavirus.
Many released balloons into the sky when the clocks struck midnight, as per tradition in the central Chinese city where the pandemic began three years ago, before grabbing selfies with their friends.
"In the past year, I feel that COVID-19 was very serious and some of my family members have been hospitalised," 17-year-old Wuhan high school student, surnamed Wang, told Reuters from the riverside shortly after midnight.
"I hope they will be healthy in the new year. This is the most important thing." - Reuters
09:50am Scarborough Council in the UK has cancelled its New Year's Eve celebrations because a walrus has taken up residence in the seaside town.
The Guardian reports the arctic walrus is believed to be the same one that appeared on the Hampshire coastline earlier last month.
It has been named Thor and is drawing crowds of locals and tourists.
09:20am Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has just welcomed in the new year with an incredible display from the world's tallest building the Burj Khalifa.
09:00am The war in Ukraine hasn't let up over New Year after Russia launched more thna 20 missile attacks.
CNN reports at least one person died and 20 were wounded in attacks on the capital city of Kyiv.
Residents in Kyiv though were defiant in the face of the attacks, saying they will celebrate New Year and pray for peace next year.
"We expect victory and peaceful skies from 2023," said Natalia Vaganova, who lives in the Kyiv region told CNN.
08:40am Bombay in India has started the new year in colourful style.
08:30am It is a good end to the year for Arsenal fans, who enter 2023 top of the Premier League and 7 points clear of second-placed Manchester City.
Arsenal beat Brighton 4-2 on the final day of 2022 in the UK while City could only manage a 1-1 draw with Everton.
There is still a long way to go but Gunners fans will be dreaming of their first Premier League title since 2004.
08:15am New Year's Eve was a busy night for firefighters after a number of fires burned around New Zealand, mostly caused by fireworks and bonfires.
Fire and Emergency said in a statement they fielded 111 calls about multiple incidents across both the North and South Islands with around 15 incidents being attended to simultaneously.
There are more details here.
08:00am Australia's Sydney put on its famous firework display with the iconic Harbour Bridge lighting up in spectacular style.
07:40am Last year was an eventful one in New Zealand and across the globe.
Aotearoa began the year with the Omicron strain of COVID-19 taking hold and giving us a big jump in the daily case numbers of coronavirus.
We had Parliamentary protests, floods and shops getting ram-raided on a daily basis, while globally Russia invaded Ukraine and the Queen died.
While we were spared any more lockdowns, it was still an eventful year and here it was in pictures.
07:30 am Sky Tower in central Auckland lit up the city at midnight.
