Storylines of Shortland Street

This article details the various storylines that have occurred on the TVNZ soap opera Shortland Street since its debut on May 25,1992.

Storylines by year

1992

Highlights

• The First Episode airs, featuring the now infamous line "You're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata!"
• Kirsty Knight (Angela Dotchin) is the victim of an attempted [...] by Darryl Neilson (Mark Ferguson).

1993

Highlights

• Nurse Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden gives birth to triplets.
• Leonard Dodds (Marton Csokas) and Gina Rossi (Joesphine Davidson) marry

1994

Highlights

• Nurse Steve Mills (Andrew Binns) and TP Aleni are killed in a car crash.
• The 500th episode of Shortland Street airs in April.
• A kiss between Meredith Flemming (Stephanie Wilkin) and Annie Flynn (Rebecca Hobbs) sparks controversy.
• Stuart Neilson (Martin Henderson) objects to the marriage of Kirsty and Lionel Skeggins (John Leigh).

1995

Highlights

• Sir Bruce Warner (Ken Blackburn)revealed that Margot Warner (Glynis McNicoll) was not Guy's (Craig Parker) mother and that he had an affair which resulted in his conception. This could explain the hostile nature between Guy and Chris {Michael Galvin))
• After getting drunk and enraging a truck driver who raped her, scheming [...] Nurse Carla Crozier, Ellen Crozier's sister, managed to persuade him to kill himself by driving his truck into the clinic. Receptionist Kirsty Skeggins (nee Knight), received the full force of The crash, and was put into a coma. On waking a few days later, she could not remember the last two years of her life, including her marriage to, and love for, cafe owner Lionel Skeggins. Kirsty eventually got her memory back, but found her love for Lionel was gone, possibly never there to begin with, and the two eventually divorced amicably.

In that same crash other characters, including Nurse Carmen Roberts (Theresa Healey), received minor injuries. While Carmen had complained of a bump to the head, she was adamant that she did not need admitting to hospital, choosing instead to be at home with her family on Christmas Eve. Her partner, Guy Warner (Craig Parker) had proposed to Carmen was attending to the baby when she dropped dead due to a brain aneurysm, leaving him to raise their baby daughter Tuesday Warner alone.

1996

Highlights

• In April, Shortland Street marks its 1000th episode with an earthquake storyline and the [...] of Bernie Leach, by his psychotic wife Carla Leach (nee Crozier), nurse Ellen Crozier's sister. Carla then attempted [...] by slashing her wrists in the bathtub, only to be discovered by her niece, Minnie Crozier. When Carla eventually came to in hospital and very much alive, she turned even more psychotic and was eventually admitted to a psychiatric facility by Ellen. Carla then tried to strangle Ellen on one of her visits, after which Ellen cut all ties with her sister.
• Future New Zealand Prime Ministers Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark make special appearances in an episode involving Marj Neilson's exit storyline as Marj visits the beehive to begin her new job as an M.P.
• In the first of two one hour episodes of Shortland Street in 1996, the clinic staff are taken hostage.
• The second one hour episode of Shortland Street for that year is the season finale, and features location scenes shot on location in Fiji, the storyline being David Kearney's search for his estranged partner Ellen Crozier.

1997

Highlights

• The fifth Anniversary of Shortland Street is marked by the marriage of David Kearney (Peter Elliot) and Ellen Crozier (Robyn Malcolm).

1998

Highlights

• Baby Rose Crozier-Kearney dies of SIDS.
• Shortland Street celebrates its 1500th episode in May.
• Oscar Henry, the controlling ex boyfriend of Minnie Crozier (Katrina Devine), rapes her in her home after they split up.
• A pregnant Tiffany Marinovich (Alison James) slipped and fell from the roof of a high-rise while trying to stop a patient attempting [...]. The patient was later admitted to a psychiactric ward.

1999

Highlights

• Lionel Skeggins (John Leigh) is presumed drowned on his wedding day to Mackenzie Choat (Ingrid Park).
• Mackenzie Choat murders Oscar Henry by making his hospital room explode.

2000

Highlights

• Shortland Street's 2000th episode features the wedding of Rangai Heremaia (Blair Strang and Donna Heka (Stephanie Tauevihi).
• Nick Harrison (Karl Burnett) and his partner Ange Weaver (Katherine Hubbard) celebrate the arrival of their son Lucas.

2001

Highlights

• A cast cull leads to the exits of 14 characters, with new characters such as Toni Thompson (Laura Hill), The Heywood and Hudson Families coming in to replace them.

2002

Highlights

• Shortland Street celebrates its tenth anniversary in May, followed by its 2500th episode in June.
• After a tumultuous eight year courtship, Nick Harrison (Karl Burnett)and Waverley Wilson finally marry (Claire Chitham).

2003

Highlights

• Tama Hudson and Shannon Te Ngaru are devastated by the death of their newborn son Ngakau Kahu, to Streptococcus B.
• Nurse Anne Kahu embarks on a scandelous affair with son-in-law Nelson Copeland.
• Dr. Geoff Greenlaw's body is found frozen in a chiller, sparking off a whodunit storyline that becomes Shortland Street's main focus over the following year.
• Anne Kahu is crushed and killed in a building collapse as the result of her father, Rex Treherne's shoddy building practices.

2004

Highlights

• Shortland Street celebrates its 3000th episode in June with an episode focusing on the two remaining original cast members, Dr Chris Warner (Michael Galvin) and Nick Harrison (Karl Burnett). In the episode Chris Warner struggles with his attraction to Lucy Swinton (Sally Stockwell), only to learn that she is sleeping with his old foe Dominic Thompson (Shane Cortese), while Nick and his wife Waverley {Claire Chitham) celebrate the birth of their new baby girl, Tina-Anne.
• Dominic Thompson's return marked his second reign of terror, during which he framed Victor Kahu for Geoff Greenlaw's [...]; murdered his PA, Avril Lucich by drowning her in a bathtub; left teenager Scarlett Valentine (Nicole Thomson) in a coma after pushing her down the stairs; framed Bernadette Lucich (Avril's twin sister) for fraud and finally stealing Chris Warner's identity and money before attempting to kill him in a jealous [...]-[...] ploy which resulted in Dominic being severely burnt in an explosion and dying after confessing to Geoff and Avril's murders.
• Shortland Street screens a one hour episode on Christmas Day, featuring the marriage of Tama Hudson and Shannon Te Ngaru.

2005

Highlights

• Chris Warner (Michael Galvin) marries Toni Thompson (Laura Hill).
• Nick and Waverley Harrison (Karl Burnett and Claire Chitham) depart Ferndale.
• Norman Hansen (Jacob Tomuri) dies following a car accident.

2006

Highlights

• On February 14, 2006, Shortland Street was the first soap opera to feature a Civil Union between lesbian couple, Maia Jeffries and Jay Copeland.
• A deadly virus outbreak in Shortland Street Hospital claims the life of Li Mei Chen.
• Shortland Street films two episodes on location in Rotorua.
• The love-triangle between Huia Samuels, Craig Valentine and Sarah Potts comes to an explosive end when Huia is killed in a car bombing in the hospital carpark meant for Anthony Richards. Those responsible where never identified.

2007

Highlights

• Teenager Scarlett Valentine left Ferndale to live in with her mother Australia after she attempted to run down ex-boyfriend Hunter McKay in the schoolyard after months of bullying.
• Maia Jefferies desire for a baby led her use her brother-in-law Mark Weston as a sperm donor. The father's identify was discovered by Jay. After learning of Jay's death, Maia was consoled by her mother Yvonne and sister Tania when Mark announced he was the baby's father. Maia then went into labour.
• Sarah Potts married TK Samuels, but their honeymoon was short-lived, as she returned to work after ex-boyfriend and ED head Craig Valentine suffered a heart attack.
• Toni Warner took son Harry and fled to Australia with brother-in-law Guy and his daughter Tuesday having discovered husband Chris with Rachel McKenna and then learnt of his affair with Justine Jones from Guy. They later returned to New Zealand as to what happened during that time has not been revealed. Their return in December 2007 ended with the four upsidedown in a wrecked car driven by Guy.
• Cocky Hunter McKay lied AbOUT his age, found himself in an uncomfortable situation for a photo shoot for a safe [...] campaign and had to explain to his parents what he had done. He then began a scandelous relationship with nurse Tess Adamson, a woman his mother's age.

• From early July, a serial killer dubbed "The Ferndale Strangler", had the women of Shortland Street Hospital living in fear when several were found strangled with surgical procedures carried out on their bodies. The victim's included receptionist Claire Solomon who was found in a rubbish skip outside the hospital, nurse Meg Harris who was found in a skip outside The I.V., bar owner Jay Copeland who was found in bushes near the hospital, nurse Beth Wilson who was abducted from her home and found by river a week later and nurse Brenda Holloway who was given a lethal injection on Halloween night by someone in a Halloween mask after discovering crucial evidence regarding mysterious cardiac arrests. Undercover policewoman Tracey Morrison, who was posing as a nurse to get close to possible suspects, had a narrow escape when she was found alive but sedated in a skip behind The I.V. with macabre markings on her torso indicating surgical procedures. Was the Strangler teasing police or was he interupted?. Tracey was moved to a safe-house. Both Doctors Gavin Capper and Justin Salt were arrested on an unrelated case, with Gavin being detained as the Ferndale Strangler. In mid-December, the identity of the Ferndale Strangler was revealed to viewers as nurse Joey Henderson in the end of year episode when he pulled IV tubing from his pocket and was seen holding it ready to strangle nurse Tania Jeffries having learnt she was in a relationship with doctor Kip Denton.

2008

Highlights

• With the identity of the Ferndale Strangler revealed, viewers finally get a GLIMPSE into the mind of serial killer Joey Henderson. The fate of nurse Tania Jeffries will also be revealed.
• The fate of the Warner's (Guy, Toni, Tuesday and Harry) who were involved in a high-speed car crash in the closing moments of 2007, will be revealed.

Births

Deaths

Marriages

This list contains all the marriages and civil unions that have occurred on Shortland Street. Note that it contains marriages that were aborted at the last minute.

Marriages

Civil Unions

See also

de:Shortland Street