| Hunter McKay | |||||||||||||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Lee Donoghue | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2006–12 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 8 December 2006 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 6 March 2012 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Jason Daniel | ||||||||||||||
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Hunter McKay is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Lee Donoghue from December 2006, as part of a new family unit consisting of parents Callum McKay (Peter Mochrie) and Justine Jones (Laurie Foell), and younger sister Sophie McKay (Kimberley Crossman). Donoghue stayed with the role until he quit in late 2011. Hunter made his final appearance in March 2012.
Hunter was portrayed as an intelligent character who was seen as a womaniser, starting an affair with his bully's mother Tess (Anita Torrance) in 2007. Storylines around Hunter often saw his relationship with his family strained due to his large ego and career choices throughout adolescence; this included the decision to become a model despite his parents' best wishes. The character starred in numerous ethical storylines, including the dangers of modelling, an HIV storyline, and drug addiction. However, the character was also often involved in relationship storylines, including long running partnerships with Tess, Morgan Braithwaite (Bonnie Soper), Jill Kingsbury (Natalie Medlock) and serial killer Penny Rourke (Carolyn Dando).
Donoghue has been praised throughout the characters run, being labelled a "hunk" and a "hottie". His acting has also been praised by television critics, stating he is believable and enjoyable. Hunter's storylines have also been well received, primarily the bullying storyline that resulted in Scarlett Valentine attempting to murder him and his drug addiction.