List of Shortland Street characters introduced in 1992
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street in 1992, by order of first appearance.
Marj Neilson
Marj Neilson was the clinic's first receptionist and was portrayed by Elizabeth McRae. A religious busy body and gossip, Marj became a staple and iconic of the show, being the shows original matriarch and leader of the Neilson family unit. She stayed on the show until 1996 and still remains one of the most iconic characters, returning for several guest stints.Tom Neilson
Tom Leslie Neilson was the husband of Marj and the show's original paramedic. Tom stayed on the show for a year and his story lines covered illness and the hugely famous missing person scenario where Tom left his family and went into hiding, then later died of a heartattackSam Aleni
Sam Aleni was the Samoan paramedic who appeared on the show for 4 years. The casting of Sam proved groundbreaking, placing a Polynesian in the occupation of paramedic, with there being only one real life case in New Zealand. Rene Naufahu portrayed Sam, with his younger brother Joe Naufahu playing Sam's brother Nat.Lisa Stanton
Lisa Stanton was the teenage girl who gave birth in the show's first ever episode. Originally thought to be the celibate Stuart's lover, it soon turned out Lisa's baby daughter was really Stuart's married brother - Darryl's.Stuart Neilson
Stuart Neilson was the teenage son of Marj and Tom who went from being a shy devout Catholic, to a sturdy business man. The character was portrayed by Martin Henderson from the first episode up until early 1995.Carrie Burton
Carrie Burton was the strict director of nursing, played by Lisa Crittenden. She was part of the original cast and appeared from the first episode up until November the following year.In 1992 Carrie was accused of helping Sam's cousin to die and was arrested but not charged. The stress of the accusation led Carrie to date hospital CEO - Michael. The relationship didn't last and Carrie briefly dated a builder through the new year. Desperate to have children, Carrie decided to get a colleague to donate his sperm and accepted samples from Chris, Steve, Hone Ropata and Guy. Carrie fell pregnant and started to date Steve's mysterious father - Declan. The two married in Las Vegas and bought the local bar in Carrie's name. Carrie gave birth to triplets in September but received little support from Declan and ended up relying on Steve. The two eventually admitted their mutual feelings following the revelation Declan was a criminal. However blackmail from Declan's dodgy associates made Carrie flee to Australia with her three children after one final kiss with Steve.
Carrie was referenced frequently early in 1994 as Steve continued to develop romantic feelings for her and a sense of fatherhood for the children. Carrie was expected to return to Ferndale for Declan’s trial, however Sarah developed cancer resulting in Carrie cancelling their trip. Following Declan escaping custody and the country, and Steve’s death in a car accident in March, Carrie saw no reason to return to New Zealand. Steve bequeathed his house to Carrie and the children, which she eventually sold in December to Ellen Crozier.
In November 1995, Chris visited Carrie and the triplets so that he could introduce his father Bruce to them before he died.
Carrie's son Finn returns to Ferndale in 2016 to meet his father and announces that Carrie has recently died from breast cancer.
Tara Milburn
Tara Milburn was a petty thief who faked an injury so she could steal from the hospital. She appeared in a two episode stint that resulted in her confession.Alison Raynor
Alison Raynor was one of the show's original nurses portrayed by Danielle Cormack and was part of the series original cast. Cormack enjoyed the experience at first, but after a year was sick of the show and decided to leave. She was the second original character to leave after Tom Neilson. In 2010, whilst times were hard, Cormack considered returning to the show only to find out her character had been killed off.Alison moved to Ferndale in mid 1992 from her farming hometown in the Waikato and moved in with two men Sam and Steve much to the shock of her conservative parents. Alison soon fell for the charms of Chris but they broke up due to his womanising ways. Enjoying single life in the city, Alison soon fell victim to a stalker Philip Cotton and reconciled with Chris when the stalking lead to a near kidnapping. Alison struggled with the differences she shared with Chris and his past girlfriends, and grew close to his brother Guy. After kissing Guy, Alison left Chris, only to reconcile and get engaged shortly after. This was short-lived with Chris leaving Alison for his ex-wife Melanie, only to discover she was pregnant. In 1993 Alison tragically suffered a miscarriage and grew close to the villainous Darryl. However she rejected Darryl's advances and reunited with Chris and soon the two got engaged. However Darryl drugged Chris and prevented him from attending the ceremony and Alison fled Ferndale in tears at the apparent betrayal. Jaki later attended Alison's wedding overseas to a French man. Alison returned in late 1993 seeking plastic surgery so she would be unrecognisable to her husband - Jean-Luc who had turned out to be abusive and a terrorist. Alison ended up being confronted by Jean-Luc at her family farm and while attempting to kill his wife, Jean-Luc tripped and fell to his death. Alison soon left the country once again.
In 1997 Tiffany Pratt reported the end to her marriage with Chris after discovering him in bed with Alison. Chris and Alison later married but divorced soon after. In 2010 it was revealed that Alison had died the previous year but in 1996, had given birth to Chris' son Phoenix Raynor following their separation.
Hone Ropata
Dr. Hone Ropata was the no nonsense doctor played by Temuera Morrison. Hone often found himself playing against the rules and remained on the show until 1995. The character made a high-profile return for the show's 4000th episode in 2008.Kirsty Knight
Kirsty Knight was the "blonde bombshell" who worked the reception desk opposite Marj. Played by Angela Dotchin from 1992 to 1998, the character picked up an icon status and remains as one of the most iconic characters to feature on the soap.Michael McKenna
Dr. Michael McKenna was the CEO of the clinic who was portrayed by Paul Gittins up until 1995. He returned in guest stints in both 1997 and 1998 and remains known as the patriarch of the McKenna family which produced the iconic character - Rachel.Chris Warner
Dr. Chris Warner was the playboy doctor who went by the nickname "Dr. Love". Chris was portrayed by Michael Galvin up until 1996. However the character returned 4 years later and remains presently, being the longest running character to appear on the show.Jill Johnstone
Jill Johnstone was the fitness trainer who had a brief affair with Chris Warner. Jill's husband caused grief at the clinic shortly afterwards, attacking Hone Ropata believing him to be sleeping with her. Chris and Jill later reunited much to Steve's shock due to Alison having had recently begun dating Chris.Jill and Chris' sex scene in the first episode remains as heavily iconic and has been stated as setting the tone for the rest of the series.
Steve Mills
Steve Mills was the joker nurse who was played by Andrew Binns from 1992 up until the characters iconic death in 1994.Rebecca Stanton
Rebecca Stanton was the baby born during Shortland Street first episode. Paramedic Tom Neilson was shocked when he brought in the teenaged Lisa Stanton to carry out an emergency birth and his young son Stuart claimed to be the father. In reality the true father was Stuart's married elder brother Darryl who had paid Lisa off after an affair. Stuart's upset mother Marj later visited Lisa and learned the baby had been named Rebecca, and was not fathered by Stuart. Lisa and Rebecca soon left Ferndale so to avoid Darryl.In 2024 upon the original series release online, The Spinoff website sought to locate the actress of Rebecca. After a 2 week search, Bronte Bell, a skin technician living in London was soon identified as the "mystery baby" and expressed interest in making a cameo reappearance on the show.
Jenny Harrison
Jenny Harrison was the original personal assistant to CEO Michael McKenna. Played by Maggie Harper, she was a divorcee who had suffered abuse from her husband and mothered his son - Nick.Nick Harrison
Nick Harrison was the mischievous son of Jenny and on/off best friend of Stuart. Portrayed by Karl Burnett, Nick stayed on the show until 2005, making him the longest running original character.Gina Rossi
Gina Rossi-Dodds was the eccentric owner of the clinic cafe. Played by Josephine Davison, Gina appeared until 1994, appearing again later in the year.Storylines
Gina was introduced as the eccentric cafe worker across the street from the clinic, and had previously been infatuated with nurse Steve Mills and soon became infatuated with hunky new doctor - Hone Ropata, but the arrival of Leonard Dodds in 1993 sent Gina into a smitten obsession and the two started to date. When the cafe became available to be purchased, Gina entered into a partnership with Dr Chris Warner, who frequently had different views on how his investment should be run.When Leonard temporarily relocated for a research project, Gina became flatmates with Hone, resparking her interest in him and once Leonard returned, he couldn't forgive Gina and they broke up. The two eventually reconciled but Gina refused to get married due to the "Shortland Street curse" where no weddings could go to plan. However Michael encouraged the two and they ended up getting married in November 1993. They bought a houseboat together and after Leonard cured his sea sickness, the two tried for children. However Gina learned she had low fertility, and following an ectopic pregnancy the two decided to move California for Leonard to pursue a research position at UCLA. Chris and Gina disagreed with who should fill in for Gina at the cafe - Chris suggesting Marilyn Buck whilst Gina wanted her Uncle Vinny. Leonard broke the deadlock by presenting a third option in the form of his best friend Lionel.
They returned later that year to be bridesmaid and bestman at Lionel and Kirsty's wedding. However Gina had become a soap star whilst overseas and her presence brought paparazzi to the service. After the wedding's second attempt in early 1995 and with Gina’s acting career taking off, Gina sold her stake in the cafe to Lionel and said goodbye to Ferndale forever with Leonard. In late 1995 it was announced that the couple had a son named Leonardo.