Pig Hunting Papakura Father Scores the Big One

 Media Release                                                                      

19 October 2010

Pig Hunting Papakura Father Scores the Big One

The biggest Lotto Powerball prize in NZ Lotteries’ history has been claimed today with a massive $28.7 million picked up by a Papakura father, says NZ Lotteries’ Chief Executive Todd McLeay.

The winning Lotto Powerball ticket was sold at Mobil Papakura and is worth a total of $28,710,403, with $28,309,882 million from Powerball First Division and $400,521 from Lotto First Division.
 
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, drove down to Wellington with family members from Auckland to claim his prize, leaving at midnight.

“I don’t like flying, and I had a lot to think about, so the drive was a good way to clear my head” the winner said.

“I had only been to Wellington once before, and I went the wrong way down a one way street – so I vowed I wouldn’t be back again.  However, I made an exception to come down and get my millions.

The Papakura father initially checked his ticket on the Saturday night, but did not read the numbers very closely and did not think he had won anything.

“I chucked the ticket on the floor and it wasn’t until I heard on the Monday morning that the Papakura prize hadn’t been claimed that I thought to take another look at it.  I showed it to my daughter, and we checked the numbers online.   We both went crazy when we realised I had won the big one, she started crying and I started shaking.

“I could not even write my name on the back of the ticket as my hand was shaking so much,” he said.

The winner did not tell his wife about their big win immediately, as she was at work on Monday and he did not want to distract her.  “So I picked her up after work, and asked her to shake my hand in order to meet New Zealand’s latest millionaire!  She started crying as well, and kept asking me, “was it true?”

The man says the win is almost too much to take in.  “We have been down to our last dollar a couple of times this year, so winning this much money is amazing.”

The family plan to sit down and have a family discussion about what to do with their prize money.  However, the winner does have one thing planned.

“I am a keen pig hunter, and like to get out on the weekends, plus I love diving and fishing.  I have been too busy lately to get out much on the water, so I hope to have a bit more time now for my hobbies,” he said.

The man plays Lotto when he feels lucky and only bought his ticket on impulse when he stopped for petrol at Mobil Papakura and saw a woman in front of him buy a Lotto ticket.

His win eclipses the previous biggest Lotto Powerball prize of $22.4 million which was won in October 2009 by a player from Manukau.

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