Te Koha "TK" Samuels is a fictional character in New Zealand's longest running soap opera Shortland Street, played by actor Benjamin Mitchell from early 2006. Creation and casting The character of Huia Samuels' (Nicola Kawana) cousin TK was envisioned in a time of immense change for Shortland Street; the arrival of a new producer on the show saw a large cast overhaul including the exit of the soap's only Pacific Islander, Vinnie Kruse (Pua Magasiva) and the axing of three of the shows Māori characters, Tama (David Wikaira-Paul, Shannon (Amber Curreen) and Rangimarie Hudson (Mia Cureen-Poko). The only other two Māori characters dealt very little with cultural issues and so it was decided to introduce a new character who was deeply passionate about his heritage. Former "Mr. New Zealand" Benjamin Mitchell had been preparing himself for a role on the soap for three years, stating: "I really want to be on the street. It seems to be everyone takes you seriously on there." Mitchell had previously portrayed a reporter in a guest role in 2000. In 2005 he finally auditioned for the show, aiming for the part of the new doctor, TK Samuels. He decided that if he did not win the role, he would give up on acting and pursue another career. Although he believed he had done poorly, after several takes Mitchell won the role and stated, "There will be a few people who go, 'I know that guy, my gosh he's on Shortland Street, I didn't know he was doing this...last time I saw him he was punching bags in his garage trying to be the champ of the world.'" In 2005 producer Jason Daniel, promised a "fresh dynamic" would be arriving to the show with the introduction of several new characters, such as "spunky young doctor" TK. TK made his debut on the episode airing 26 January 2006. Mitchell enjoyed the freedom the role created for him, "Your creativity is really heightened; you produce results faster. That's a great thing that working here teaches you." Following the introduction of TK, the Māori presence on the show was equally measured for the television network's charter to portray Māori perspectives. In 2013 Mitchell stated that he was "content" with staying on the show for the foreseeable future. Following surgery on his shoulder in mid 2015, Mitchell struggled to appear mobilised on screen and storylines were rewritten to incorporate