One lucky Whakatane resident had no idea they won $1 million until receiving a call from Lotto NZ last Saturday.
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, says they heard someone in the area had won a major prize but had no idea it was them.
They realised they had won after checking the numbers for themselves and were in complete shock.
But they weren't sure how much they had won until Lotto called them.
“I said to them ‘oh, my goodness, is it really one million’?”
“I couldn't believe it- I was jumping up and down and shouted to my family, ‘check these numbers, check these numbers!”
They don't have any big plans for their winnings yet, but feel relieved at the stability the windfall will bring.
“It will make such a difference to my life. It gives me the financial freedom to pay off my mortgage.”
