Hunter McKay

The character of Justine Jones had been introduced to the show in 2005 as a vehicle for Australian actress Laurie Foell to enter the soap, having previously made her name on Home and Away. The following year, Foell was offered a reprisal of the role with the intention of centring a new family unit around Justine. To accompany the return of Justine, the characters of her husband Callum, daughter Sophie, and son Hunter, were created. Hunter was said to be "a young man with huge potential." and would be "strong-willed, egotistical and driven as his parents". Lee Donoghue was part way through gaining his qualifications from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, when he was offered the role of Hunter McKay. Hunter and Sophie made their first appearance on 8 December 2006 with Hunter's first line being: "Very rustic, can't I get a hug from my mum first?". Donoghue took a 9-week break in mid-2011 to study in New York. Whilst there, Donoghue fell in love and got a management contract. Seeing as his Shortland Street contract was nearing its end, he decided not to renew it. Hunter was written off in the conclusion to his drug addiction storyline, with Donoghue filming his final scenes in December 2011. Hunter made his final appearance in early March 2012 with his final line being; "I love you too." ==Storylines==

Hunter arrived in New Zealand with sister, Sophie (Kimberley Crossman), in December 2006 and instantly got in trouble with airport security, much to parents Callum (Peter Mochrie) and Justine's (Laurie Foell) anger. He had a brief fling with Scarlett Valentine (Nicole Thomson) but started to bully her, resulting in Scarlett attempting to murder Hunter. Hunter began to get bullied by gay schoolboy – Nate (Damien Harrison), who had a crush on him. He started a controversial relationship with Nate's mother Tess (Anita Torrance) which ended when he proposed. In 2008, Hunter used the fake death of Justine (Lucy Wigmore) to guilt Morgan Braithwaite (Bonnie Soper) into a relationship. His attempts at a career in modelling abruptly ended in 2009 when he realised the huge drug culture in the industry, and he briefly dated nurse Aroha Reed (Geneva Alexander-Marsters) before joining medical school to become a doctor. In 2010, Hunter briefly dated Tracey Morrison (Sarah Thompson) before getting stabbed with a needle by a drug addict. Faced with possible HIV, Hunter was outcast by his colleagues and when he was stabbed by a thug in May, he finally discovered he did not have the disease. He started to date Penny Rourke (Carolyn Dando) but learnt she was a murderer and turned her in to the police. In 2011, Hunter started to date Jill Kingsbury (Natalie Medlock), but stress and competition with rival Paige (Rachel Foreman) caused Hunter to take ADHD medication. He found himself increasingly reliant and started taking harder drugs when Jill left him for Callum. Hunter was eventually dropped from medical school and Jill ended up dead when Hunter robbed a pharmacy for drugs. Struggling to cope with sobriety, his awaiting trial, and disappointment from Callum, Hunter departed to Hastings to attend rehab in March 2012, finally on good terms with his father. ==Character development==

Drug addiction In 2010, producers decided to exhibit Hunter through a drug addiction storyline to highlight the far stretch and extent of drug addiction. In April 2011 it was announced Rachel Foreman would arrive as new character, Paige Munroe. Paige and Hunter were set to be rivals and compete for top of the medical class. Donoghue purposefully tired himself out to make his acting realistic. The doctor who supplies Hunter is arrested Hunter struggles to stop taking the drugs The car crash saw the climax of the 2011 feature-length episode. The long episode allowed producers to carry out such a stunt. later telling Daniel who forces Hunter to get help. However 3 months later, Hunter returns heavily addicted to Crystal Meth. Donoghue found Hunter's P addiction "very challenging but incredibly rewarding." Producer Steven Zanoski thought the storyline was contemporary, stating; "We have shown that drugs know no socio economic boundaries and even an educated medical student from a wealthy background can fall victim. The storyline has shown that drugs destroy lives and this year's cliff-hanger showcases this, all while providing us with some of the best performances of 2011." The 2011 season concluded with Hunter and drug addict friend, Bailey, robbing a pharmacy. Daniel and Jill track Hunter down, only for Daniel to get bludgeoned with a crowbar by Bailey and Jill getting stabbed by a security guard. The cliffhanger forces Hunter to accept the consequences with Donoghue explaining; "Hunter's addiction to 'P' has caused him to reach a new low, and with his actions leaving his friends' lives in the balance, Hunter has to now deal with the consequences of the situation, no matter how serious they are." Hunter got arrested and ended up getting bailed to his father's apartment. Although clean from drugs, Hunter struggled with his father's presence and in March 2012 left for a Hastings rehab for a fresh start. Donoghue thoroughly enjoyed playing the storyline and the confidence it brought, stating; "I threw myself into work there those last few months. Usually you ease off the longer you're there, but with the addiction storyline I took things to another level. It was good to show that a serious drug problem can happen to anyone. Hunter had everything he ever wanted and was on his way to becoming a doctor but it only takes one wrong move and it can ruin your life." ==Reception==

The character has been described as a "hunk" and a "resident hottie", resulting in Donoghue receiving a lot of female attention. Donoghue joked about the " breathless girls" and stated that an abusive elder women hit him on the head for his relationship with Tess. Hunter's early storylines were highly praised by fans, with his attempted murder at the hands of Scarlett Valentine winning "Favourite Moment" in the Throng Shortland Street Fan Awards 2007. In the same awards, Hunter also won "Funniest Moment" for hiding in the nude. while also winning "Most Boring Storyline". Hugh Sundae of the New Zealand Herald was initially hesitant of Donoghue's acting, but thought that in 2010 the acting of Hunter had significantly improved to an enjoyable state. He again praised Donoghue's acting in the 2011 90-minute episode stating; "Lee Donoghue continues to nail acting under the influence of booze and drugs as Hunter McKay, the likeable prescription-drug addict who's about to get so mad he will actually kick a tyre". ==References==