A Porirua man's first move after bagging $1m in Lotto First Division was to call his mum, who didn't believe him at first.
The lucky winner said he was only an "occasional" player and he "completely forgot" about the draw.
"I was watching a movie... It wasn't until after the movie finished that I remembered my ticket and logged in to check on my phone.
"It was a surreal feeling watching the numbers roll down and match the ones on my ticket one by one," he said.
"When all six matched, I thought, hang on, there's something wrong with my phone."
After staring at his phone in shock for "a good twenty minutes", counting the zeroes, he double-checked the ticket on his computer.
With the prize confirmed, he called his mum for advice.
"She didn't believe me initially, so I sent her a screenshot of my ticket," he said.
"Once she counted all the numbers and realised it was real, she immediately told me not to tell anyone!
"I started planning right away and was up until 3.30 in the morning writing my priorities down."
Ultimately, he decided to keep working — not that he doesn't have "big plans" for the cash.
"I love my job. This win is a nice bonus for me."
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