A grandmother from the Porirua suburb of Whitby says she spent the day at work after realising she had won Lotto’s $17.2 million Powerball prize.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, was walking with her grandson when she decided to stop at New World Whitby to purchase her ticket for that night’s draw.
“It was purely because I was out with him that I remembered to get my ticket that day – he’s the reason I stopped and bought it.
“He’s too young to understand, but I’ve told him every day since that I love him 17.2 million times,” she laughed.
The woman sat down to check her ticket on Thursday morning, and that’s when she found out she had won. She didn’t tell her family and went straight out to work.
“I didn’t want to say anything until I had confirmed it – but I really don’t know how I spent the day at work, it was all a bit of a daze to be honest.
“My son even called me to tell me someone local had won and asked me if I had checked my ticket and I just casually said ‘nah, I’ll check it when I get home later’.”
After work, the woman went back to New World Whitby where she bought the ticket, and quietly whispered to the Lotto operator “I think it’s me… I think I’m the winner”.
The Lotto operator checked her ticket, gave her a subtle nod and took her to the office.
“It was all very discreet and professional, which was great. They congratulated me and we filled in the paperwork.
“I was shaking like a leaf, and my stomach was in knots – I could barely hold the coffee they made me.”
The woman then waited for her family to get home.
“I started casually asking them what they would do if they won Powerball… and then I said, ‘well now we can do all that – because it’s me – I won the $17.2 million’.
She said it “felt great – there was lots of cheering and tears as everyone realised what this meant for us”.
The woman spent a quiet weekend with her family coming to terms with their new reality.
“It’s feels like such a weight has been lifted now – but it’s going to take a lot to get my head around.
The woman and her family are busy making lots of plans for their future, which included paying off mortgages and setting children and grandchildren up for the future.
“It’s life-changing, and I’m forever grateful for it, I really am.”
This marked the second largest Powerball prize won this year, following a $23.3 million win by a couple from the upper North Island in April.
