List of Shortland Street characters introduced in 2016

Bluebell "Blue" Nathan, played by Tash Keddy, made his first appearance on 10 March 2016. Keddy is the first transgender actor to play a transgender character on the show. Shortland Street producer Maxine Fleming said there were around 12 actors auditioning for the part. Keddy auditioned with no acting experience and had never seen ''Shortland Street''. Keddy was initially contracted for 12 months. Fleming commented, "We talked to Tash extensively to ensure he was up to the challenge of this and was robust enough to deal with the attention it was going to bring, and also had the right support in his life. We were convinced he was the right person for the role." The show's production company hired Cole Meyers, a consultant from the transgender community, to help out with Blue's introduction. Meyers thought the casting was "a big deal" and hoped the character would receive a positive reaction from viewers. On 1 April 2018, it was reported by Ophelia Buckleton from Stuff.co.nz that Keddy would be leaving his role as Blue after 2 years on the show. Keddy felt that the role had "hugely" changed the transgender community. He also revealed that his backstory is largely autobiographic as Tash is a real-life fine arts student.

Blue lurks around the hospital and later steals food from the cafeteria. Jack Hannah (Reuben Milner) witness this and starts chasing him down. He eventually catches Blue and talks him into giving the food back. He then pulls off Blue's hood and is confused about his gender. Kate Nathan (Laurel Devenie), Blue's mother, sees this and punches Jack and tells him not to touch Blue ever again. Blue starts at Ferndale High and steals an iPad off of another student. Jack then arrives and gets it off Blue and returns it to the owner. Jack then starts talking to Blue and comforts him. Jack mentions to Blue that he is "different" too telling him that he is gay. After struggling to persuade his mum to start transitioning, he gets a job at the I.V. to pay for it himself. Kate later comes around to the idea and supports him. Blue is attracted to Lottie, of whom Harry Warner likes too. Blue and Lottie later share a kiss, much to the disappointment of Harry. Blue moves into the Hannah's after Kate and Mo Hannah (Jarod Rawiri) start a relationship. He then meets Harper Whitley's (Ria Vandervis) niece Ash Whitley (Ruby Lyon) and after conflict between the pair at first, they start a relationship. Blue is very distraught after Ash's death and starts self harming. Blue would finally stop after an accident involving his mother and a ladder. After helping stepbrother and close friend Jack through the death of his boyfriend Dion, Blue departed Ferndale to live with his new girlfriend in a studio apartment after enrolling in university.

On 25 June 2018 he returned during the semester break to celebrate Kate's birthday. However, on the night where he and Mo tried to surprise Kate, Kate was abducted by the serial rapist who raped Claire, and apparently Dawn's lesbian friend last year. In 2019, after Mo passed away, he finally decided to do the double mastectomy as the next stage to physically transition into a man. Kate even offered to help financially. However, on 14 February, he had second thoughts, and Kylie had to block his body to force Drew to stop the surgery, after Blue was just sedated, thus was in no fit state to retract. While Kylie initially faced backlash over the move, when Blue fully explained that he gained clarity from babysitting Billie, Drew and Harper's intersex child, he no longer feel the surgery to be a necessity.

He returns in October and Sophia King falls for him. While the two are hanging at home, Ben King rushes in and Sophia admits she likes Blue but Ben says that she can't like him like that because he has just found out from Kate that Blue is his son.

Provided by Wikipedia