Jaki Manu
Encyclopedia
Jaki Manu was a fictional character on the New Zealand
soap opera
Shortland Street
. She was portrayed by Nancy Brunning
and was part of the original cast.
Jaki started off 1993 by leading a nurse's strike whilst forming a relationship with cricket star Henry Tamariki. CEO Michael McKenna eventually backed down to Jaki's demands and Jaki used her negotiating skills to act as Henry's agent, negotiating a series of lucrative sponsorship deals for him. However, the couple's relationship was strained during an MRSA outbreak (that Henry had inadvertently caused by bringing the illness back with him after a trip to Australia) when Jaki neglected Henry (both on the professional and personal front)and focused all her energies on attending to the outbreak. Jaki eventually tried to patch things up with Henry, only to find him in bed with another woman. Jaki broke up with Henry. Jaki faced a moral dilemma when she developed feelings for Rob Hawkins, the partner of terminally ill cancer patient Dani Brown. The two shared a kiss on the pier, but initially decided to remain friends. However, when Dani took off for a trip to Florence without Rob, Jaki and Rob began a full-fledged affair which came to a halt when Rob learned that Dani had taken ill. Rob brought Dani back to Shortland Street where Dani asked Jaki to help her die. Jaki refused Dani's euthanasia request and was later stunned when Dani revealed that she had known all along about Jaki and Rob's secret relationship and gave Jaki her blessing for it to continue. With Rob's help, Dani later died on the same day that Carrie
gave birth, leaving Jaki and Rob free to be together. However, Jaki could not get past the fact Rob had helped Dani die and realised that Rob would not be able to get over his lingering feelings for Dani and decided to end their relationship. Jaki attended Alison Raynor
's marriage overseas and later helped Alison hide in New Zealand when her husband turned out to be the head of an evil corporation
. When Carrie left, Jaki was promoted to nursing manager.
In 1994, Henry returned to Ferndale and Jaki was openly hostile towards him. It was discovered he had a very serious knee injury and he was not willing to exercise it as he was still in love with Jaki. Jaki got back together with him with the promise that he would give up cricket. Jaki was demoted after Chris
gave her inaccurate drug readings and blamed it on her. Jaki decided to leave Ferndale with Henry and together the happy couple left Shortland Street for London.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Shortland Street
Shortland Street
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera, first broadcast on Television New Zealand's TV2 on 25 May 1992. It is the country's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 4500 episodes and 19 years, and is one of the most watched television programs in...
. She was portrayed by Nancy Brunning
Nancy Brunning
Nancy Brunning is an actress and director who has won awards in film and television and has made a major contribution to the growth of Māori in the arts. Her accolades include Best Actress awards on stage and screen. She won Best Actress at the NZ Film Awards for her lead role in the movie What...
and was part of the original cast.
1992-1994
Jaki was introduced as the strong yet sweet Maori nurse who got on with all the staff but had a fiery temper. In mid 1992, Jaki pricked herself with a needle that had been used on an HIV positive patient, Deborah. The storyline hinted at the stigma of having the disease as Jaki initially hid her HIV scare from her friends and co-workers, and when they finally learned what was going on, Marj was openly hostile towards her, believing that Jaki was contagious. Jaki's other co-workers, having been trained as medical professionals, were more understanding. They set Marj (and by extension, the viewers) straight about how HIV was transmitted. After many months, Jaki was cleared of the disease. Jaki met Black Caps cricketer Henry Tamariki, instantly hitting it off. The two soon started dating.Jaki started off 1993 by leading a nurse's strike whilst forming a relationship with cricket star Henry Tamariki. CEO Michael McKenna eventually backed down to Jaki's demands and Jaki used her negotiating skills to act as Henry's agent, negotiating a series of lucrative sponsorship deals for him. However, the couple's relationship was strained during an MRSA outbreak (that Henry had inadvertently caused by bringing the illness back with him after a trip to Australia) when Jaki neglected Henry (both on the professional and personal front)and focused all her energies on attending to the outbreak. Jaki eventually tried to patch things up with Henry, only to find him in bed with another woman. Jaki broke up with Henry. Jaki faced a moral dilemma when she developed feelings for Rob Hawkins, the partner of terminally ill cancer patient Dani Brown. The two shared a kiss on the pier, but initially decided to remain friends. However, when Dani took off for a trip to Florence without Rob, Jaki and Rob began a full-fledged affair which came to a halt when Rob learned that Dani had taken ill. Rob brought Dani back to Shortland Street where Dani asked Jaki to help her die. Jaki refused Dani's euthanasia request and was later stunned when Dani revealed that she had known all along about Jaki and Rob's secret relationship and gave Jaki her blessing for it to continue. With Rob's help, Dani later died on the same day that Carrie
Carrie Burton
Carrie Kennedy was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Lisa Crittenden and was part of the original cast.-1992:...
gave birth, leaving Jaki and Rob free to be together. However, Jaki could not get past the fact Rob had helped Dani die and realised that Rob would not be able to get over his lingering feelings for Dani and decided to end their relationship. Jaki attended Alison Raynor
Alison Raynor
Alison Raynor was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Danielle Cormack and was part of the series original cast.-Creation and Casting:...
's marriage overseas and later helped Alison hide in New Zealand when her husband turned out to be the head of an evil corporation
Evil corporation
An evil corporation is a staple of science fiction , usually a big multinational company which values profits over ethics....
. When Carrie left, Jaki was promoted to nursing manager.
In 1994, Henry returned to Ferndale and Jaki was openly hostile towards him. It was discovered he had a very serious knee injury and he was not willing to exercise it as he was still in love with Jaki. Jaki got back together with him with the promise that he would give up cricket. Jaki was demoted after Chris
Chris Warner
Dr. Christopher "Chris" Warner is a fictional character and current main protagonist on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He is portrayed by Michael Galvin. He is the only original character to still be on the show....
gave her inaccurate drug readings and blamed it on her. Jaki decided to leave Ferndale with Henry and together the happy couple left Shortland Street for London.