Mali Hudson
Maliyan Hudson (2023-present)
Kyle Shilling
Episodes: 7948-present
Parents: Unnamed father (deceased) & Victoria Hudson
Siblings: Elandra & Lowanna Hudson plus two other sisters, Iluka Hudson plus another brother (all older)
Occupation: Surfboard shaper; Manta Ray Boards shop owner
Mali was well known to Dean by 2023, being a board shaper working at Mantaray Point who did work for him. He was summoned to Summer Bay by Dean’s sister Mackenzie to help her set up the nursery for Dean and Ziggy’s baby, providing miniature surf boards, and noted he had five nephews and three nieces himself. Dean asked Mali to manage the board shop so he could focus on his family and Mali got to know the locals as he started giving surf lessons. Alf was initially suspicious of him, wondering if he was a River Boy, but Mali didn’t even know what that was, explaining he was the grandson of a fisherman. Alf gave him a caravan to use overnight while in Summer Bay.
After taking Xander for a surf lesson, Mali was taken with his sister Rose. He took her out for dinner and gave her a kiss good night but went cold on her on discovering she was a police officer, explaining you couldn’t trust the police where he came from. Rose convinced him to give her a chance and on his next visit to town they had breakfast together, shortly before Dean asked him to look after the board shop full-time. He said he needed to talk it over with his family. He went on another date with Rose but she panicked and left when they went back to his van, with him later learning her previous boyfriend had been using her. He offered to give her a surf lesson and they spent the night together for the first time but were interrupted the next morning by his sister Elandra, who wanted to know why Mali had moved away without telling anyone. He showed her around town and she eventually accepted his choices but warned him he would have to tell their mother one day.
With Dean moving away, he signed the board shop over to Mali. Mali promised to keep an eye on Mackenzie and, soon after, found himself offering her a shoulder when her terminally ill boyfriend Gabe Miller walked out on her. Mackenzie decided to go away for a while, telling Mali to look after the house. John, who had been away, was upset to learn Dean had left without saying goodbye and told Mali they would only have a professional relationship. Mali managed to win him over with pizza. When Xander was injured by drug thieves who killed his partner Jamie, Mali disapproved of Rose tracking down the culprits rather than staying by Xander’s side. He stayed with Xander until she returned and broke up with her, saying they had different ideas about what was important. He spoke to Alf and John about expanding the board shop and learned Mackenzie had been back in town and hiding out at the farm for two days. She asked him to move in with her, since she was struggling with living on her own and he agreed.
When Xander was discharged from hospital and wanted to attend Jamie’s funeral, Mali was willing to take him until Rose changed her mind and took him herself. Mali renamed the board shop Manta Ray Boards and threw a grand reopening with help from Mackenzie. John asked him to help redesign the juice bar but Mali refused without being paid. However, after seeing John’s rather lacklustre attempts, Mali gave him a folder full of ideas free of charge. John got him to post a picture of the relaunched juice bar on his socials. He gave Mackenzie space after she heard Gabe had died but was concerned when she slept with Kahu. Mackenzie wondered if Mali had warned him off when he suddenly went cold on her.
After seeing Xander collapse, he joined Rose in keeping an eye on him. Xander dropped the bomb that Rose had been looking at Mali’s socials but it broke the ice between them and they had dinner together to clear the air. Rose kissed him after a surf lesson but he pulled away. A few days later, he realised she was avoiding him and offered her his schedule to make it easier. They instead agreed to be friends. Mackenzie arranged a surprise party for his birthday, with John managing to get him to Salt at the right time, but didn’t invite Rose. Mali tracked Rose down at her flat and chatted to her about needing to tell his mother he’d moved to Summer Bay, before visiting his family. Elandra told him to get back with Rose and he went to see her but their almost kiss was interrupted by Kirby, who accused Mali of leading Rose on, Her comments caused Rose to have second thoughts, asking Mali why he was so quick to dump her before, but after talking things over, they reunited. Mali gave Rose a scare by accidentally leading her to believe she’d been invited to his mother’s birthday before explaining it was family only.
When John and Roo drove off with a box containing a bomb, Mali was alerted by Marilyn and chased after them, managing to get them to pull over and get out so they avoided the worst of the explosion. Mali himself suffered a perforated ear drum and was told it would be weeks before he could surf again. He felt the pinch since surf lessons were his main source of income, so tried to go out anyway, wearing an earplug, but fell off the board and had to scramble to safety. Mackenzie convinced him to talk to Alf and get the shop rent frozen until things were better. He was unhappy when Mackenzie paid his share of the rent on the house, insisting he would repay her. Rose suggested he asks his family for help but he felt that would make him a failure.
Instead, Xander and Mackenzie took over running the classes while he recovered. Mali thanked Rose for her support and casually told her he loved her. When Xander mentioned it to her, he told her to forget it happened. Rose prepared a romantic meal for him at the farm house but they arrived to find it vandalised with the message “Stay away from my wife.” It turned out to be the work of a man whose wife had been flirting with Xander during surf lessons, who had got him and Mali mixed up. Xander made up for the mix-up by arranging a romantic lunch for the pair, during which Rose told Mali she loved him.
He continued to be frustrated at not being able to teach and argued with Xander about teaching methods. He apologised, then learned his mother Victoria had seen photos of him and Rose together online so invited Rose to meet her. He introduced Rose to Victoria with Elandra in attendance, although Victoria was annoyed at not being forewarned Rose was a police officer. It was explained Mali’s brother Iluka had been in trouble with the police, who had been harassing him ever since.
He was finally able to resume surfing and learned Rose was searching for her father, defending her decision to Xander. He met Samuel Edwards, the man they identified as Rose’s father, when he visited the Bay and eventually managed to clear the air with Xander. He then saved Xander’s bacon when he failed to prepare for a hen party by performing a dance routine with the hens. He unsuccessfully tried to hide a video of it from Rose and refused Xander’s request to do further hen nights. He was then visited by his ex-girlfriend Zara Campbell, an old family friend who their parents had joked was his “promised wife” and who expected to stay with him. She then announced she wanted to get back together. He made it clear he wasn’t interested but found himself pressured by his mother to show her hospitality. When Zara gatecrashed his dinner with Rose, Rose told him he had to choose between them. He challenged Zara who admitted she wanted to give up law and hoped that getting back with him would soften the blow with her family. Mali agreed to Zara staying on at the farm house while he stayed with Rose. However, Mackenzie then came home and told him Zara couldn’t stay at the house without him. Mali considered moving back in but eventually told Zara to go home and be honest.
He was asked to decoy Alf when he tried to leave town on the day of his surprise long service presentation and ultimately had to resort to telling Alf the truth and asking him to act surprised. Afterwards, Roo tricked him into taking a photo of Alf with the plaque, telling him it was for the surf club newsletter when in fact it was for an interview in the Coastal News that Alf was unaware of. He learned Mackenzie had let Tane move into their spare room and wasn’t entirely comfortable with him bringing random women back. He hurried to the hospital to support Mackenzie after she had a heart attack and was roped into helping Alf run the surf club when John resigned. He tried to look after Mackenzie when she was discharged from hospital but didn’t realise she was unconscious until Xander called round and rushed her to hospital. He pointed Xander towards research that was being done into Mackenzie’s condition and took part in initial discussion for a fundraiser Xander decided to put on.