Te Hana Hudson
| Te Hana Hudson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Vanessa Rare | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2001–03, 2004–05, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 5 April 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 14 April 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Jason Daniel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Simon Bennett (2001) Harriet Crampton (2003, 2004) Jason Daniel (2006) |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Occupation | Nurse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Father | Kahikatea Kahu |
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| Mother | Makana Kahu |
| Brothers | Victor Kahu |
| Sisters | Bernice Kahu |
| Husband | Joe Hudson |
| Sons | Tama Hudson |
| Daughters | Mihi Hudson |
| Grandsons | Te Ngakau Hudson |
| Granddaughters | Rangimarie Hudson |
| Grandfathers | Kahakatane Kahu |
| Uncles | Arthur Kahu |
| Aunts | Liz Kahu |
| Nephews |
Nelson Copeland Whetu Hudson Eti Kawaka |
| Nieces | Jay Copeland |
Te Hana Hudson (née Kahu) is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Vanessa Rare for two stints from 2001 to 2005. The matriarch of the Hudson family unit, Te Hana was introduced during an infamous revamp of the show and was a representation of the working class New Zealander.
In 2000 an Australian consultant made several large changes to the show that would see a more working class hospital portrayed. Te Hana, her husband Joe and children Mihi and Tama were created because of this. As part of the revamp, producers wished for a more community based cast with established family links, mimicking the past presence of the Warner and McKenna families. The Hudson's arrival was said to be a "shock" for the established character of Te Hana's brother, Victor Kahu (Calvin Tuteao). Vanessa Rare was cast in the role. Rare left the role in 2003 but returned in several sporadic stints. She returned for several episodes in a guest role in 2003 and returned the following year for several months before departing on 28 January 2005. She returned in 2006 for another guest stint as part of on screen son David Wikaira-Paul's departure.
Te Hana arrived with her family in 2001 for a fresh start but she grew annoyed at her brother Victor's (Calvin Tuteao) attempts to break up her marriage to Joe Hudson (Rawiri Paratene). Te Hana developed a crush on Geoff Greenlaw (Andrew Laing) and the two eventually kissed, only to be caught by Te Hana's daughter Mihi (Quantrelle King) who told Joe – ending the marriage. It seemed Te Hana and Joe were heading for reconciliation but he ended up leaving the country and Te Hana and Geoff got together. Te Hana realized Geoff had killed a patient and took the blame, suffering a demotion. She was delighted to welcome her foster daughter Shannon (Amber Cureen) back into her life but discovered she was pregnant to her teenage son Tama Hudson (David Wikaira-Paul). In 2003 Te Hana's demotion continued to drive her away from Geoff and the two broke up before Te Hana left Ferndale to be closer to Mihi. She made a brief return later in the year and was shocked to learn Geoff was in fact gay.
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