World

NZer dies while celebrating 40th birthday in Gold Coast

15:21 pm on 1 April 2024

Danielle Whittaker has died after a suspected overdose during celebrations for her 40th birthday on the Gold Coast in Australia. Photo: Supplied

A New Zealand woman has died on Australia's Gold Coast following a suspected overdose during celebrations for her 40th birthday.

Danielle Whittaker, who is originally from Wellington, died on Good Friday while partying with friends in an apartment, Queensland police said.

Emergency services were called to The Esplanade unit about 11pm after she was found dead, the spokesperson said.

Whittaker had lived in Australia for several years, her friend Kaz Jackson said, and she was loved and missed by many.

Her family did not want to make any comment at this stage, Jackson said, as they "needed space to grieve".

Friends took to social media and said Whittaker had been an "inspiration" who helped empower "so many people" in her life.

Her death was not being treated as suspicious, a spokesperson for Queensland police said, and they would prepare a report for the Coroner.

According to Nine News, two other woman were found "not breathing" at the scene.

A woman, 43, was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition where she was now stable, while another 43-year-old woman had been released from hospital.