In the final Shortland Street season of 2025, a killer outbreak rips through the hospital, leaving no one safe. Every choice could mean life or death as doctors and patients face impossible sacrifices. But the virus isn’t the only threat – lies, lust and betrayal spread just as fast in Ferndale, turning friends into foes and pushing loyalty to extremes. As corruption and cover-ups come to light, the battle for survival builds to an explosive finale that will change our favourite medical drama forever.
Here, Shortland Street Contagion stars Michael Galvin, 58, Ngahuia Piripi, 34, Ben Barrington, 48, and Awa Puna, 26, spill all on the shocking new season…
What can you tell us about Contagion?
Michael It’s classic Shorty – high-stakes drama with our main characters at risk. The writers have done a brilliant job of intertwining the separate storylines in really cool ways.
Ngahuia It’s extremely triggering – and what’s a bit of Shorty without some heartbreak? You might even meet a new bad guy.
Awa Audiences can look forward to a thrilling crescendo of events that make us question all those we trust. Some people are worth fighting for and some are worth fighting against!
Ben Many lives are at risk as the characters battle one threat after another.
What’s next for your character?
Michael Let’s just say that by becoming part of the problem, Chris helps to find the solution.
Ngahuia When something or someone breaks you, there’s no telling how it changes a person.
Awa The traumas of Gia’s past and upbringing will be repeated in a way she never expected.
Ben My character’s right in the thick of the Contagion emergency, as well as navigating complicated romantic issues.
What was your highlight of filming Contagion?
Michael Chris is a big player in the drama, doing what he can to avoid getting sick and desperately trying to find a cure. There was a lot to sink my teeth in to.
Ngahuia Not having to wear those masks like everyone else! You’ll see why.
Ben Shooting the end- of-season cliffhanger. There’s plenty of action, suspense, running around and exciting stunts
What was the toughest part?
Michael The masks we had to wear. They look cool, but they fogged up very quickly and they’re pretty uncomfortable. It was impossible to see out of them sometimes.
Ngahuia Trying to honour and remember the many symptoms Esther had. From the pain in her chest with her heart issues to other medical-related symptoms, it was a lot!
How was it shooting the new promo pictures?
Michael It was fun. Photo-shoots are interesting because you’re spending a lot of time just trying to create and capture a moment, instead of telling the whole story.
Ngahuia It felt like going back in time to a Level 4 COVID lockdown. I can’t believe there was a time when keeping distance was our new norm and we wore masks literally everywhere!
Ben It’s a nice change of pace from shooting the show and also to present the characters in a different way.
How did you spend the COVID lockdowns?
Michael The best thing was that my daughter was forced to hang out with me instead of her friends! Well, it was fun for me anyway. Once we’d exhausted our supply of board games, we invented a couple of our own, and I tried and failed to learn the latest TikTok dances. The trickiest part was the uncertainty – seeing the terrible reports of bodies piling up and hoping we’d be spared those horrors. Thankfully, we were spared due to the way our people at the top dealt with it.
Ngahuia I had babies! My son was born in Level 4 lockdown, so we were fortunate to spend so much time with him in his first months. We had so much fun – walks in parks, gardening, baking, cooking, puzzles… We even made a volcano!
Awa I was in my final year of drama school, so a big chunk of it happened over Zoom. It pushed all of us to discover new ways of performing through a screen, acting
with people who weren’t physically in the room.
Ben My daughter was three, so the best part was getting to spend so much time with her.
What can you tell us about the Christmas cliffhanger?
Michael Not much without giving it away, but there’s one of the biggest and best stunts we’ve ever done.
Ben It involves a very sudden, unwelcome and incongruous visitor.
Ngahuia Santa doesn’t come!
Awa Disease can spread like wildfire, leaving chaos in its path, but sometimes it isn’t illness that does the damage – it’s people. This year’s cliffhanger shows just how quickly one moment can change everything and not everyone will walk away untouched.
Shortland Street Contagion premieres 7pm Monday on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+.
