The Lip podcast

Rohan Stace was a Kiwi cop who never shied away from the dangers of frontline policing. But behind the macho image he was a cross-dresser who lived in terror that his secret would be discovered. Three years ago, Rohan ceased to exist. She is now Rhona – New Zealand's first openly transgender police prosecutor. This is her story.

Averill Richardson was 18 years old when she gave birth to her daughter Angie. Before Angie was born, Averill had been faced with a choice: give her baby away to strangers, or keep the baby – but never, ever tell her who her real father was. Averill made her choice. Sixteen years later, the secret was out.

He was a Southern Man. She was a sausage dog. They went together like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito. Harriet Bremner tells the story of her life with such unlikely companions... and what happened when everything went wrong.

Police dog handler Bruce Howat and his canine partner Cara were a crack crime-fighting duo – one of the finest man-dog teams on the force. It all came to an end one night when Bruce found himself on the wrong end of a 33cm-long hunting knife wielded by the most unlikely of criminals. A story of the immense bond between a policeman and his dog – and the lengths they went to to save each other.

Book lover Dennis Gallagher could accept losing his apartment in the devastating 2011 Christchurch earthquake. But he could not accept losing his books. Instead, he found his inner James Bond and launched a secret operation to steal his own books from his own apartment within the military-patrolled red zone.

Eugene Falleni was a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed deck hand on a South Seas sailing ship. Then, his secret was discovered. A story of transgender, betrayal and murder.

When Bruce and Veronica met it was the start of something big – but they were up against something much bigger. The remarkable story of girl trying to find her way through the abusive state care system in the 1970s and a guy who promised to protect her.

When Lilia Tarawa fled from the religious cult of Gloriavale, she turned her back on the only life she'd ever known. The deeply moving story of a girl who grew up up in an isolated community where women exist to serve the men, give birth and perform domestic chores… and what happened when her thirst for truth and knowledge became too great to ignore.

After the childhood from hell, talent agency co-founder Amanda Betts was on a path to destruction when an unwelcome gift transformed her life…

Harry Gordon successfully faked his own death and had been living a brand new life under an assumed name for five years… until he accidentally bumped into his brother.

An insane romance on an Italian cruise ship ultimately led Liz Lawrence to the greatest tragedy of her life. Then, a young girl called Nadia – who she didn't know from a bar of soap – made her a promise…

One minute 10-year-old Michael Batista was riding in the cab of the removal truck. The next, he was lying in a ditch, watching his grandfather drive off into the night… Twenty-five years later, the consequences of that night threatened to claim his life again, until a remarkable act of generosity and kindness came his way.

She always knew it would end in carnage. She was right. She thought he'd shoot her with a gun. She was wrong. He chose a Samurai sword. The Simonne Butler story – as you've never heard it before.

Leigh Hopkinson was leading the perfect double life – until a neighbour discovered her secret and dobbed her in. The story of how a well-heeled country girl went from classroom achiever to a stripper in a class of her own.

A cruel letter sent to her as a 13-year-old set Janet Balcombe on the path to self-destruction and drug addiction. Years later, locked up in Mt Eden prison on charges relating to meth, guns and kidnappping, she had to admit: her life hadn't gone quite as she expected…

Suffering from debilitating anxiety and depression, as a young man Jock Hume could have fallen through the cracks. Instead, he bought himself a studded shirt and tan boots and carved out a place for himself in the world. For more unforgettable true stories from The Lip go to www.thelippodcast.kiwi

Tracy Pepper found a new lease of life with the help of a monarch butterfly called Fluffy. She saved Fluffy, who was born with perfect wings but couldn't fly. And in return, Fluffy saved Tracy. This is their story. For more unforgettable true stories from The Lip go to www.thelippodcast.kiwi

It began as an ordinary Friday night. It ended in murder. Barbara Bishop of Taranaki recalls the most horrifying night of her life.

The Lip is a podcast in which people tell true unforgettable stories about events that have shaped their lives. For more information go to www.thelippodcast.kiwi