Photo: South Pacific Pictures
TVNZ says consultation is under way with some Shortland Street staff about possible job cuts, as the production company behind the soap adjusts to making fewer episodes.
Last year, the future of the popular soap seemed to be in the balance when South Pacific Pictures said it was up for discussion and TVNZ said it was under review.
It was confirmed in July that it would be cut from screening five nights a week to three.
It was reported by the New Zealand Herald's Media Insider column that the show costs TVNZ about $20 million to make every year. But over the years the ratings have dropped from a peak of about 350,000 to less than a third of that.
South Pacific Pictures referred queries to TVNZ.
TVNZ spokesperson Rachel Howard said South Pacific Pictures had entered into a consultation process with people who were part of Shortland Street's production and were on permanent employment contracts.
"Shortland Street's existing operating model is unique in the local production sector. It's based on a five-episode-a-week broadcast schedule underpinned by a consistent year-round production. Designing the programme in this way has provided production efficiencies over the years and also built a special culture behind the scenes.
"We've made changes to Shortland Street's format to enable the show to continue in 2025. This includes reshaping the series into a three-episode-a-week format. The result is a shorter production period and the need for South Pacific Pictures to now make changes to cast and crew on permanent employment terms in line with this. 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."
She said ratings were still good, and TVNZ was already discussing a "potential" 2026 season.
"The 2025 season of Shortland Street is in the top five shows streaming on TVNZ+. On TVNZ 2 it's the second most watched programme year-to-date. It's a key title in TVNZ's content line up.
"The 2025 season has only been on air for a matter of weeks, so we haven't worked through a commissioning process for 2026 yet."
She said TVNZ would not comment further while the process was underway.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
