On his 10th birthday, John Daniell's Mum tells him she used to work for the SIS. But that's just the start of the secrets...

John Daniell grew up in a house where spying was the family business. His mum had worked for New Zealand's Security Intelligence (SIS) before he was born and his step-dad worked for them throughout his childhood.

Through the tense years of the Cold War, John's step-dad, who we're calling Jim Stewart, went out on missions and the family kept New Zealand's secrets. The SIS - known as The Service - works on a need to know basis. But one night, not long before he died, Jim told John a story about one particular mission; a raid on a foreign embassy right here in New Zealand that has remained a closely guarded secret. Until now.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details