Ashburton locals react after Four Square sells $28m Lotto winning ticket

Clucas said supporting young people and helping remove barriers to participation in sport would be her priority if she ever found herself holding a winning ticket.

Alongside Clucas, friend Janice Steele said it would be enough money to live a financially free life.

Steele said the prospect of never having to worry about household bills or mortgages was appealing to anyone.

Locals Marion and David Oakley were quick to say that they would support their children.

“We would also donate to charity, do some travelling,” Marion said.

The couple said helping family members get ahead would be one of their priorities, with charitable giving and seeing more of the world also high on the list.

Many residents who spoke to the Herald had similar aspirations, with family, travel and financial security among the most common themes.

Some said they would quietly keep the win to themselves with one local joking they would “only tell their sister”.

Others said they would immediately seek professional advice before making any major decisions, with one resident saying their first call would be to “contact a financial adviser”.

For many, travel featured prominently in their plans.

One local summed up their dream simply as “travel, travel, travel”, saying they would spend years exploring destinations they had always wanted to visit.

While some focused on practicalities such as paying off debt, helping family members into homes or investing for the future, others admitted they had more personal ambitions.

One resident, who asked not to be identified, said they would use part of the money to get plastic surgery.

Despite the winning ticket sparking plenty of conversation around Ashburton, it has not yet been claimed.

Four Square Netherby store owner Kim Woods told local NZME radio show Hokonui Breakfast with Luke Howden that they are all “very excited”.

“It’s fair to say from about 8pm last night, the phone started ... and plenty of people were letting me know that Netherby was the place to win,” Woods said.

“Our staff chat got very busy last night.

“The team are really excited that hopefully it’s gone to one of our very lucky locals.”

She said it is the store’s first big win. Lotto provides stores with training on how to deal with such enormous winnings and Woods said confidentiality for the winner is huge.

“It’s of the utmost importance that the team keep it private,” she said.

“It’s equally our win because we’re super excited that it’s our store but it’s very much so for the individual who’s woken up this morning to a very new bank account.

“We’re really excited for the community.”

Woods said they get a “nice little trophy” for having sold a first division winning ticket, as well as the excitement of knowing that they have been part of a life-changing event for someone.

Ticket holders can immediately see if they have won if they bought a ticket through the MyLotto app. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to the account.

For prizes exceeding $1000, winners must complete an online prize claim form.

Winners with physical tickets must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.

For the Powerball jackpot to be claimed, a ticket holder must get all six Lotto numbers correct as well as the Powerball number.