Shortland Street‘s head writer Jessica Joy Wood is leaving Ferndale after nine years but is keeping her scrubs on and joining the team on the longest-running medical drama in history, Casualty.
The doctors of Shortland Street tried their best, but they couldn't save one of their colleagues in last year's Christmas cliffhanger. Photo / South Pacific Pictures
Former South Pacific Pictures (SPP) managing director John Barnett spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive this evening on the uncertain future of the long-running series, which first aired in 1992.
Barnett backed up the rumour that staff had been told to look for new employment.
He said he understood that a number of people have been told they would be contractors going forward, as opposed to continuous staff.
When asked whether he thought the show would be back for 2026, Barnett said, “Well, I don’t know”, and said the decision is up to TVNZ. “It’ll be a shame if it isn’t.”
Barnett said: “There don’t appear to be assurances at this stage.”
Shortland Street reduced from five days to three days a week this year. Photo / Andi Crown Photography
Barnett said the show scaled back its set and storylines when it transitioned from five days to three days a week.
He told Heather du Plessis-Allan it had also been tough to attract audiences with changes in viewing habits.
Barnett said going to three days a week hasn’t been nearly as profitable.
TVNZ said in a statement: “TVNZ has not cancelled Shortland Street.
“It’s an important programme for us. We are working through plans at the moment for what 2026 might look like, as well as the financing plans for the next season.
“Given we are only a few months into the new season and new format, our major focus is delivering the 2025 season.”
Earlier this year, Shortland Street cast and crew members were informed of the proposed changes to staffing.
The broadcaster said the proposed staffing changes come after recent changes to the format of the TV show. Shortland Street had aired five episodes a week, Monday to Friday, since 1992, but returned to screens in 2025 on a reduced schedule, airing Monday to Wednesday.
A TVNZ spokesperson declined to clarify the scope of the proposed changes in March, and who they impacted, saying: “Given an employment process is under way, out of respect for individuals’ privacy we won’t be commenting further. We would like to acknowledge the impact these changes have on people and how disruptive and upsetting it might be for some of the SPP team.”
SPP told the Herald: “We would like to clarify that John Barnett has not held a role at South Pacific Pictures for more than a decade. His views are his own, and are based on an operating model that was vastly different to the media landscape we are currently operating in.”
SPP is currently helmed by CEO Kelly Martin and managing director Andrew Szusterman.
The future of Shortland Street is up in the air.
Last year the Government handed the show a lifeline, making changes to allow a 40% screen production rebate to apply to Shortland Street. At the time it was reported the show cost TVNZ in the region of $20 million to produce each year.
Shortland Street was the top scripted show on TVNZ+ for February and the second-most-watched show on TVNZ2 in the year to date. However, in the first three weeks of 2025, the show reached 11,000 fewer accounts on TVNZ+, dropping from 106,000 accounts for the same period in 2024 to 95,000 accounts.
The hit TV show is one of New Zealand’s most-watched and highest-rated shows. More than 8000 episodes have been produced since its inception, making it the longest-running drama in the country.
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