Shortland Street to return to fulltime episode schedule

Shortland Street will soon be back on our television screens five nights a week.

The show's weekly episode volume was reduced after the oncoming coronavirus pandemic brought filming to a halt.

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TVNZ and South Pacific Pictures cut back first to four and then just three episodes a week to keep the show airing throughout lockdown.

Production resumed at alert level 3 in May with strict health and safety measures and the show will be back on air fulltime from Monday, June 29.

TVNZ's director of content Cate Slater said Shortland Street was an important part of TVNZ 2's schedule.

"Fans can't get enough of their favourite drama and so we're grateful for their patience and support as we've prioritised the health and safety of the production.

"We're excited to be back on Thursday and Friday nights later this month. We've got some amazing storylines coming up that viewers are going to love."

South Pacific Pictures CEO Kelly Martin said she was proud of how hard the cast and crew had worked to get the show up and running again.

"It's a testament to their dedication and resilience that we are back to some sort of normal and that fans of the show can once again enjoy the show five nights a week."

Production will continue to adapt to fit with government guidelines.