Kane Jenkins

In 2014 Shortland Street producers were contacted by internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran to ask whether he could have a part in the show as he had seen it, and enjoyed it.^[10] The scene was written surrounding the character of Kane who was to be helped by Ed whilst in the middle of a personal crisis.^[11] Apa did not consider himself an Ed Sheeran fan but was still "nervous" acting alongside him. He believed he was the most "high-up" there celebrity Shortland Street had managed to secure on the show.^[6] Kane came out of the scene better off Apa believed, "In a previous storyline Kane, Honour and Toby had written a song for a fundraiser. Kane just started playing that and he sort of, well he didn't teach Ed Sheeran how to play, but Ed just started playing it and was giving him tips on how to sing ... Kane is starstruck as well, just as anyone would be. It cheers him up. It does what Ed is trying to do.^[11] The song was written especially for the scene by the show's composer Graham Bollard.^[10]

Shortland Street primarily focuses on drama and romance based storylines but occasionally covers topical storylines and specifically "medical storylines that resonate with the community."^[1] Storyliners became aware of shocking statistics of youth suicide within New Zealand and it was a topic that producer Simon Bennett "cared deeply about". The decision was made to create the character of Kane, a teenager that throughout the course of an 18-month period would decide to take his own life.^[1] With such a sensitive subject matter, storyliners consulted the Mental Health foundation routinely throughout the plot line to ensure they were correctly portraying the decline into depression and the steps of suicide.^[12] The storyline saw Kane under immense pressure after a leg injury removed him from his sporting ambitions and his best friend Jack (Reuben Milner) came out of the closet to him leading to estrangement. Kane also became the victim of online bullying.^[1] The storyline progressed over several months with the decline into depression slowly coming across through character development and the manner in which Apa portrayed Kane.^[13]

With consideration from mental health experts, it was decided to publicly announce the storyline was to occur so as to warn viewers of the intensity of the episode. A message was also screened prior to the airing and online, alerting viewers how to address the issue if suffering themselves.^[1] So as to avoid copycat style incidents, the actual suicide attempt was not screened but rather alluded to. This involved Kane's foster family finding him unconscious after gassing himself in the family car.^[14] Apa was pleased to work on the storyline believing it was the "hardest" thing he had to do but he was proud he, "got to be involved with something that could be beneficial to New Zealand. I’ve had some big storylines this year, but I’m loving it."^[5] Cast and crew members were trained with the aftermath of the episode and how to deal with affected viewers, family, and friends. In addition to this, higher levels of staff moderating the soap opera's social media accounts were hired to watch for distressed viewers.^[1] The Mental Health foundation were pleased with the manner to which the storyliners decided to take the storyline with Kane surviving and his route to recovery being witnessed.^[1] Kane ultimately ended up accepting the help of his family and slowly recovered from his attempt and his depression.^[12][13] Dialogue was included within scripts concerning recovery, with suggestions of healthy nutrition, exercise, and communication being written in.^[13]

Kane was frequently referred to by media as a "heart throb".^[12] Apa was reportedly used to fans "swooning, whispering, and pointing" at him on the streets.^[5] The portrayal of the suicide storyline was applauded due to its sensitivity and "confrontational" nature.^[12] Some viewers online expressed shock and annoyance at the level of detail to which the suicide was outlined,^[14] despite the purposeful attempts to reduce exposure to the actual attempt by producers.^[1] The New Zealand Herald columnist Robyn Yousef highly praised the storyline and the portrayal by Apa. She believed it was sensitively carried out and accurately acted. Ultimately she concluded that the storyline would have helped educate New Zealand families and may even have saved young peoples lives.^[13] Shortland Street was lauded following the COVID-19 lockdown as an accurate reflection of New Zealand life, with storylines such as Kane's suicide attempt enabling difficult conversations within society.^[15] In 2017 stuff.co.nz journalist Fleur Mealing named Kane as the 6th character she most wanted to return for the show's 25th anniversary, citing the need for "young blood" on the show.^[16]