Opinion: 25 years on, Shortland Street still tackles the big issues

Shortland Street is taking a progressive step forward with storylines.

Love it or hate it, Shortland Street has become part of Kiwi culture.

With its 25th anniversary episode due to air on Thursday, many will find it hard to remember a time when it didn't fill the 7pm slot on TVNZ 2.

The country's longest-running soap promises its anniversary episode will see familiar characters returning and deaths are a certainty but most details have been kept tightly under wraps.

I'm certainly no avid fan but my mum has never missed an episode so naturally, growing up, I followed many of the show's crazy plot lines, quirky one liners and dramatic Christmas cliff hangers.

But it's the way the show sheds light on important, topical issues that I want to applaud.

Being in our own little corner of the Earth, it can be hard for Kiwis to relate to international soap operas - the mannerisms, issues and catch phrases don't always align with the New Zealand way of life.

But Shortland Street filled that spot and often led the way when it came to highlighting issues like teenage suicide, when in 2014 Kane Jenkins (KJ Apa) suffered from depression and ultimately attempted suicide; and medicinal marijuana, when in 2015 a teen battling cancer on the show took the drug to alleviate her pain.

These are just two examples, the show has also waded into divisive topics such as euthanasia and abortion, was the first soap opera to feature a civil union and continues to highlight marginalised members of the community, with its first transgender character joining the cast last year.

The medical drama first screened on May 25, 1992, and has since taken its viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions. Showing no signs of slowing, I think it's safe to say Shortland Street is here to stay.

And if that means more progressive storylines and conversation starters around hard-to-swallow topics, I'm all for it.

Whether you're a Shorty St super fan who has spent the last 25 years relishing every plot twist and dramatic death or your total viewership of the show amounts to 15 minutes back in 1992, I think we can all agree the show has cemented itself in New Zealand history.