$15.4 million windfall for Bay woman

A Hastings woman has won $15.41 million in the Big Wednesday draw, allowing her fiance to buy her a "long-awaited" engagement ring.

She won $15 million in the first division and $409,492 in the second division.

The couple declined to be named or give their ages and occupations.

"We are too well-known in our own culture," she said.

"Hastings is a very small town. We just want to enjoy our win, relax and structure everything properly."

She said they had previously been living pay day to pay day.

"We are very financially stressed ourselves. Our evening entertainment was to spend $10 at a club. Six dollars was for a jug of coke and $4 would be spent playing pool."

She said it was a last-minute dash to buy the winning ticket, blaming her fiance's timekeeping.

Peter Dunkerley Pharmacy and Pak'nSave Lotto kiosks had already closed.

The group decided to buy pizza. Dominos was closed but Pizza Hut was not. While waiting for their meal they visited the nearby Caltex service station on Karamu Rd to buy cigarettes, where they discovered the Lotto outlet was still open.

"We all jumped out of the car and queued. The person in front of me was taking too long so I threw my ticket to the attendant. He threw it back to me and told me to be patient," she said.

Her winning numbers were the last ones purchased before the Lotto kiosk closed. Service station manager Mitesh Chaudhari said the win was a reason for everyone to celebrate.

"It is good for the whole community, the business, the customers. It's a good buzz all round. Everyone keeps smiling," he said.

"It is very exciting. Unbelievable. Fifteen million dollars. It's amazing. I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it."

Whatever the final plan was for the money, the woman said it would not be wasted, thanks to the lessons learned from their own financial difficulties.

But one discretionary purchase was a certainty.

"I have been hanging out for my engagement ring," she said.

Its purchase would have to wait until their financial plan was in place, she said, because "we are not splurgers".

After getting engaged last year, the couple had hoped to buy a ring for Christmas.

"There was an engagement ring that I really liked, and it was $500, but it was way over our budget," she said.

"I said, I'll deal with this $100 ring, and he said, 'No, none of these rings are good enough, you'll have to wait longer for your ring' ... I think I'm going to get a pretty good ring now."

After watching the draw live, the couple - in disbelief - rechecked their numbers and called some of their extended family together.

"They thought that they were in trouble. Everybody was jumping for joy, and crying all at the same time. And then we gathered together in a huddle, and we said a prayer."

Yesterday the couple were unsure if they would be able to continue their jobs, but were determined to keep their feet on the ground and work out a plan.

"Family is our first priority. We want to help put them on their feet. A better way of life without the strife."

She said there would be a donation to an official charity, probably in Africa.

"We have always said we would help starving children."

The woman said a new home - with a pool table - would replace the cramped two-bedroom flat they shared with her son, sister-in-law and her husband.

The couple had to borrow money to travel to Wellington to claim their prize yesterday.

When they arrived, with no money for a motel, they used a service station toilet to get changed, before walking into the Lotteries Commission building to claim their $15 million.

"We wanted to dress nice when we got here, with tidy clothes, but we needed to get changed somewhere," the woman said. "Then we came in with big smiles to claim the money."