Shortland Street’s penis-gate
It’s the scene that tackled the issue of sexting and made waves all the way to Jimmy Kimmel in the US, who spoofed it on his talk show, with Alec Baldwin parodying Dr Chris Warner. Warner confronts his son Harry, whose phone is synced to the family tablet. A red-faced, puffed-up Warner barks incredulously, “Please tell me that is not your penis!” just as the cliffhanger drumbeat from the closing credits dramatically kicks in.
Nick and Rachel’s student allowance wedding stunt
In a socially topical plotline protesting the unfairness of parental income-testing, which meant some students were ineligible for a student allowance, dorky Nick Harrison and the glossy Rachel McKenna were friends who made an unlikely couple when they tied the knot in order to qualify for a student allowance. The stunt showed solidarity to their peers and highlighted the unfairness of the policy.
The soap’s first same-sex kiss
Shortland Street was the first show in New Zealand to portray a same-sex kiss on mainstream television. One of the original cast members, Dr Meredith Fleming was a strong independent woman who championed equality and marginalised groups. In a landmark moment of visibility for our LGBTQ+ community, in 1994 she shared an on-screen kiss with nurse Annie Flynn.
The Ferndale Strangler
A superbly crafted and hooky plotline that played out over several months as a compelling whodunnit. In a sensational season finale, the culprit Joey Henderson leaps off a building to his death after a tussle with bar and restaurant owner Kieran Mitchell.
The bizarre disappearance of Marj’s husband
Busybody receptionist Marj Brasch’s mild-mannered paramedic husband Tom nips out to get some cream but never returns. In a comically preposterous plotline, it transpires he has run away to join a cult. Due to popular demand, Tom sheepishly returned and fans were given closure, only for him to be killed off by a heart attack.
Strategically placed magnets on Vinnie’s fridge
In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, the fridge in the background of Vinnie Kruse’s kitchen has strategically placed magnets spelling out the word “cunt”. Did this really happen?
Timely topical issues: end of life choice bill
When Jean King discovers she has dementia, the soap tackled the complexities around the controversial end of life choice bill, which was being debated at the time. King’s family relocates to Ferndale from Australia to assist her, but Jean has firmly made up her mind that she would prefer the autonomy to die with dignity than wait for the illness to deteriorate. Screenwriters explored the issue from multiple angles and with sensitivity.
Nurse Carrie Burton admonishes Dr Hone Ropata
It would be remiss to not include what is surely the soap’s most recognisable lines of dialogue. In the first episode of the soap, suave newcomer Dr Hone Ropata is questioned by the director of nursing “Robonurse” Carrie Burton, who doubts Ropata’s call on an emergency procedure, firing the steely zinger: “You’re not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata.”
The first civil union
In 2004 the Civil Union Act was passed in Aotearoa to enable both same-sex and opposite-sex couples who choose not to marry to have formal recognition of their relationship status. Soon after the law was passed, characters Jay Copeland and Maia Jeffries celebrated their civil union in a lushly pink ceremony shot at Auckland’s Parnell Rose Gardens.
It’s a poo-nami!
Shortland Street screenwriters had fun with slapstick and literal toilet humour when Drew McCaskill wakes up in the night to investigate groaning noises coming from the plumbing. Decked out only in his boxers, he discovers a torrent of sewage spurting from the toilet. Slipping and sliding through the mess, McCaskill cries out: “It’s a poo-nami!” It was reported the very visible faeces was actually edible – hand-made by the props department using gingernut biscuits, coffee and raisins.
It’s a poo-nami! #ShortlandStreet pic.twitter.com/Vhv1T703Zy
— Shortland Street (@ShortlandTweet) April 30, 2018
The Mount Ferndale eruption
In a special feature-length episode to mark the show’s 25th birthday, Ferndale was struck by a violent volcanic eruption, blanketing the suburb with ash and toxic gas. While it may seem like a bombastic plotline, Auckland is of course a city built on a volcanic field.
Te Rongopai dismisses the patriarchy
Staunch new hospital CEO Te Rongopai gives her colleague Esther an empowering pep talk, dismissing hospital management as “puffed up, privileged Pākeha men drunk on control, terrified of change … We are the future, Esther, not them.”
A versatile band with a murder ballad and a wedding song
The haunting and atmospheric Pink Frost by The Chills plays in the background when Avril is drowned by Dominic in a bubble bath as he macabrely mutters: “I love this song.” This isn’t the only time the group featured in the show. At Dr Chris Warner and Rachel McKenna’s wedding, McKenna coyly tells Warner there are some special wedding guests. She leads the way into the venue to reveal The Chills, one of his favourite bands, playing the rousing Heavenly Pop Hit. Warner giddily races to the front, shouting with glee: “It’s the Chills!”
Seeing prize-winning Aotearoa literature represented on screen
In a rare moment for New Zealand literature, a local author’s book was shown on mainstream television. TK’s daughter Tillie Samuels is sitting up in bed reading a book. And the book is Auē by Becky Manawatu, which won the prestigious Jann Medlicott Acorn prize for fiction at the 2021 Ockham New Zealand book awards. A bit of a gritty reading choice for a reader under 16 years old, mind!
