Shorty's Ben & Ngahuia ‘LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!'

The soap stars share their silly season wish lists

Walking through the enchanted forest to get to our festively decorated grotto, Ngahuia Piripi can’t help bursting into a rendition of Here Comes Santa Claus.

“Christmas is absolutely my favourite time of year,” the Shortland Street actress grins, “and it’s the day before my birthday, so I’ve got an extra reason to love it!”

And as she and her co-star Ben Barrington are granted an audience with the man in red himself, Ngahuia can’t help but make a few requests for both special days. The 29-year-old tells Santa, “If you can’t fit a house in your sack, all I want is a COVID-free year and fingers crossed for a bit of international travel – a trip to Rarotonga is definitely on my wish list!”