Contaminated beaches in Gisborne; other North Island spots to enjoy sunny New Year’s Eve.

Olivia Hussey Eisley, star of the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet and the slasher classic Black Christmas, has died, according to a post on her Instagram page.

She was 73.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Olivia Hussey Eisley, who went peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones on December 27th," the statement posted on her Instagram reads.

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"Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her."

Romeo and Juliet was the British-Argentine actress's big break, winning her a Golden Globe for her performance.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEGi6o7yYz9/?hl=en

She later starred in the 1974 horror film Black Christmas and appeared in Death on the Nile.

Born on April 17, 1951, in Buenos Aires, "Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals," the statement said.

"Olivia leaves behind a loving family— her children, Alex, Max, and India, her husband of 35 years David Glen Eisley, and grandson, Greyson, and a legacy of love that will forever be cherished in our hearts," the statement read.

"As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia's enduring impact on our lives and the industry.

"We thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of a truly special soul."

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The couple’s passports, birth certificates and Christmas presents were destroyed.

After a nearly weeklong search, Athena found her way home to her Florida family in time for Christmas Eve and even rang the doorbell.

Athena, a four-year-old German shepherd and husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on December 15, prompting a search among the community and nearby towns for her.

Her owner, Brooke Comer, said her family left for church that day and got a message from her neighbour with a picture of Athena outside the house.

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Comer panicked.

Her family rushed home to find her collar in the crate and no visible opening Athena could have gotten out from.

How she escaped remains a mystery.

The next week's events continued to be an "unbelievable" story for Comer, where neighbours and community members from nearby towns would contact her from her missing dog ads and send any footage or photos where they may have spotted Athena.

Based on all the alerts Comer got, it looked like Athena made a nearly 32km roundtrip while she was missing.

At every alert, Comer and her family would go to the spot within minutes and search for Athena — to no avail.

"She was the hide-and-seek all-time grand champion," Comer said.

"With every sighting my heart jumped, and it honestly was excitement and then your heart's crushed because we were always one step behind."

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The entire search was a terrifying and scary experience for Comer, who was worried about where her already skittish dog could have gone or could have encountered.

That was until 2.30am Christmas Eve, when she got a Ring video notification from her doorbell and her other dog began barking.

"I was kind of like in a daze, and the dog was barking, and as soon as I heard that ring, I looked at my phone and you could see in the video it was Athena and she was jumping at the door, ringing the doorbell," Comer said.

As soon as Comer opened the door, Athena bolted inside and went to go lick her son's face, who was on the couch half-asleep.

After that, she immediately grabbed her ball to play and shortly went to her cage to go back to sleep.

Comer said the experience gave so much hope because of the neighbours and the large community looking for Athena for the past week.

The next plan was to get Athena a full exam, flea and tick treatments and a microchip.

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‘Dozens of people raced out of the water,’ one witness said.

An Australian building giant behind some of the nation's biggest developments, including a 41-residential tower on Chevron Island on Queensland's Gold Coast, has entered voluntary administration.

Bensons Property Group Pty (BPG) announced yesterday that it had made the "difficult decision" to appoint Craig Shepard and Sebastian Ham of Korda Mentha as voluntary administrators.

The company cited challenging conditions in the construction and property development sector, noting that the industry had faced "an extremely difficult time, particularly post-COVID".

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BPG was founded in 1994, by philanthropist and self-made developer Elias Jreissati.

The company focuses on building large and luxurious apartment blocks in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.

"This Australian family business has a 25-year track record in delivering luxury beyond the expected," the website says.

"During that time, every project taken to market has been completed, resulting in over $2 billion of iconic residential property."

One of those projects includes a 41-residential tower on Chevron Island, which is expected to be completed late next year.

A four-bedroom apartment, part of the tower, recently sold for $9 million to a well-known Sydney family.

Other notable projects include Bensons' Society Armadale homes, in Melbourne's inner south.

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Under a proposal to be put to creditors, BPG intends to continue trading during and beyond the administration and receivership period.

The company confirmed there were no plans for redundancies.

"Bensons Property Group is a proud property developer that is in the business of delivering homes for Australians to live in and own, but we need this reset so that can continue," BPG managing director and chief executive Rick Curtis said.

"This was not an easy decision, however, I want to assure our people that there are no plans for redundancies."

The company stated that it believed the process offered the best opportunity to navigate through this period and emerge stronger.

"I also want to assure the hundreds of Australians who have purchased apartments in projects that we are managing, that we are taking this action to help protect their interests and the interests of BPG," Curtis said.

"We currently have a development pipeline worth well over $1.5 billion, and I am confident that we will get through this period and come out of it as an even stronger business."

BPG is the latest in a long list of construction businesses that have fallen into administration or collapsed entirely since the pandemic, with supply chain disruptions, skilled worker shortages and high material costs all contributing factors.

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‘We are all too familiar with the devastating results drink-driving can cause.’

After New Years’ Eve, the value of all Flybuys points will be given to its shareholders.

$80k reward announced as search for missing Marokopa family costs reach $50k.

Many of the biggest national stories of the year were shrouded in tragedy.