The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best premium stories of 2021. Today we take a look at New Zealanders whose lives are a little less ordinary but largely unknown.

The secret life of: A married Kiwi sugar daddy

A Kiwi man approaching retirement age didn't expect to fall for a 22-year-old student in need of extra money. On condition of anonymity, he agreed to reveal to the Herald his secret life as a sugar daddy.

Read the full story here.

"Two years ago, if someone had said, this will be your life, I wouldn't have believed them. But I care for her and my wife," the man anonymously shared. Photo / Getty Images, stock picture

The secret lives of: Lesbians in 1970s New Zealand

To be a lesbian in 1970s New Zealand was often to live in "a twilight world". By day, women went about life as assumed heterosexuals – many were married to men, many had children. If they didn't, their sexual preference was seldom talked about, unaccepted by most. But by night, by way of clubs, feminist groups, sports teams, even a Dominion Rd bakery, they were able to find each other.

Rebecca Blithe speaks to three women about the challenges and triumphs of being lesbian in the 1970s.

Sexual preference was seldom talked about and unaccepted by most in the 1970s. Photo / Getty Images

The secret life of: A New Zealand psychiatric nurse

It's the middle of the night. Jim Goodwin is alone in the forensics unit of Christchurch's Hillmorton hospital. Trapped in darkness, he feels helpless. A heavy sense of foreboding bears down on him. Something bad is about to happen ...

Then, he wakes up.

These are the nightmares Goodwin, 65, endures after 37 years as a New Zealand psychiatric nurse.

"The emotional toll is huge. Huge," Goodwin tells the Herald from his home in Christchurch. "I've had PTSD from my time. Nightmares, flashbacks. Loud noises and people shouting I really struggle with."

For Mental Health Awareness Week, Rebecca Blithe spoke to Goodwin about his near 40 years working in mental health.

"I've always been curious about people. How they work, what goes on in the top four inches," says Jim Goodwin. Photo / Supplied

The secret life of: A policewoman in 90s New Zealand

Allison was a New Zealand Police officer during the late 80s and into the 90s. From South Auckland youth aid to delivering "death knocks" to losing a colleague to suicide, she shares heartwarming and harrowing memories from her time on the beat.

Read the full story here.

"When it comes to the police, all people see is people in blue uniforms that are either hounding someone or pulling people over. But there's also the stuff people don't think about." Photo / Getty