Shortland Street - First Episode

I tried to reason with him, but he just bulldozed over me and went ahead. You know the last thing I need is any more scandal.

– Chief Nurse Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden) describes Doctor Ropata's insistence on delivering a baby, to clinic boss Michael McKenna (Paul Gittins)

You can't afford to wait any longer.

– Doctor Ropata (Temuera Morrison)

Audiences at first were quite shocked and possibly a little bit confronted to hear Kiwi accents every night in a New Zealand drama.

– Producer/director Simon Bennett on the show's accents, in 2017 documentary Shortland Street: Inside An Icon

We took it out of the script for just being too silly, a load of rubbish. Jason Daniel took it out and then he went 'oh bugger it', and put it back in.

– Producer Caterina De Nave, on the infamous "you're not in Guatemala" line heard in this episode, The Sunday Star-Times, 23 May 2010

Originally we all thought we were part of an enormous turkey, that everybody hated...because they did.

– Actor Michael Galvin on the early days of the show, in 2017 documentary Shortland Street: Inside An Icon

You're not in Guatemala now Doctor Ropata.

– The immortal line uttered by Director of Nursing Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden), to Doctor Hone Ropata (Temuera Morrison), in the opening clip

What's more important — a few rules, or the well-being of the patient?

– Doctor Ropata (Temuera Morrison) argues for the urgency of treating an urgent case, even though he isn't officially on staff yet.

You know, ever since I've got here I've felt like...I've felt like a country bumpkin. But I reckon if I can handle a tough kid like Tara....

– Nurse Alison Raynor (Danielle Cormack), before she discovers the bad news about Tara

Listen lady — if you don't hurry up and get a doctor I'm going to bleed to death.

– Tara (Krista Nobilo), one of the show's earliest patients, demands attention

Good god she's practically full-term.

– Director of Nursing Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden), sees the state of Lisa

For god's sake. Find Doctor Warner.

– Director of Nursing Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden) wishes some doctors were on hand

Shortland Street Accident and Emergency Centre.

– Receptionist Marjorie Neilson (Elizabeth McRae) answers a phone call, and utters the very first line on the show

Look, you just can't walk in here and perform a cesarean. So far as I'm concerned, you don't even work here yet.

– Chief Nurse Carrie Burton (Lisa Crittenden), to Doctor Ropata (Temuera Morrison), shortly before she first mentions the word 'Guatemala'

The biggest innovation we brought when we launched the show was humour . . . The key writer Gavin Strawhan, Jason Daniel [story editor and later producer] and myself made a decision that we would have a comedy story in every episode. People had never really laughed in serials before, it was seen as a big no no, and we thought that was quite crazy because Kiwis are funny.

– Producer Caterina De Nave in The Sunday Star-Times, 23 May 2010

It was six months from sitting around a table to going on air — which is remarkable . . . You have to design and build sets, you're budgeting it, you're casting it, you're writing scripts, you're crewing it. Two weeks before we went on to shoot, Clayton Ercolano . . . saved our bacon. He just worked every day designing sets for two weeks — he didn't go to bed in that time.

– Producer Caterina De Nave in The Sunday Star-Times, 23 May 2010

Every week we thought we were going to be fired, and I used to go home and say to my partner 'you know, I don't know how much longer I'll be working in this job'. Because the ratings were not the best in the first year.

– Writer Maxine Fleming on the early days of Shortland Street, in 2017 documentary Shortland Street: Inside An Icon

The Shortland Street theme song is perhaps our most enduring piece of television music, right up in the god tier with the Country Calendar song and the Interislander jingle.

– TV reviewer Alex Casey on the Shortland Street theme song, The Spinoff, 28 May 2022

As soon as you juxtapose comedy with something that's hard-edged or tragic, you get something very potent. Comedy gives you a lot of pace and a lot of support for your stories.

– Producer Tony Holden on how the show combines comedy and drama, in 1996 book Shortland Street - Production, Text and Audience, page 51

1992. Big hair and high-waisted jeans are in. The US has a new President in Bill Clinton and the world is shocked by revelations about Charles and Diana's marriage. In New Zealand, National Party leader Jim Bolger is the Prime Minister . . . We're watching American, British and Australian television such as Neighbours, Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos.

– Book Shortland Street - Celebrating 15 Years sets the scene for when this episode went to air, page 6