Mona's shock at mortgage win

DELIGHT: Nane Araia, Passion Te Amo, 11, and Mona Araia, at their Flaxmere home. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR

A phone call to Mona Araia at the Heinz Wattie's staff cafeteria had her very confused.

The Hastings grandmother of 11 had forgotten her entry a month previous, in online retailer Container Door's competition to win a year's worth of mortgage payments.

When Container Door's founder Ben Nathan congratulated her she did not make the connection.

"I was standing in the cafeteria and I didn't know who the guy was - I actually thought his company was about shipping containers," she said.

"I was going up to get my lunch and I had my workmates in front of me," she said.

"One of them overheard the conversation and said, 'I hope you didn't win that competition'.

"So I looked at her and I had to ask Ben what it was that I had won.

"I said nothing to her, standing still and quiet, but she knew. She screamed and yelled in the cafe and I was so embarrassed.

"I said, 'Can we wait until we get downstairs to the office?'."

Her work colleague ignored the request, proclaiming her win.

By the time she returned to work it was common knowledge.

"A lot of people at work entered the competition and as I walked in they said, 'So, you won it'."

"I never thought I'd win it - I feel guilty."

Her family immediately suggested a holiday to visit family at Aitutaki in the Cook Islands "but my first thought was to put it all on the mortgage".

Some members doubted the win was genuine until she flew to Auckland to meet Mr Nathan.

"With Christmas looming I'm doing a little bit of a spend, with the grandchildren and everything, and the rest of it will all be going on the mortgage - or a holiday."