NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

$26m checkout man checks out (of work)

Nicholas Jones
By Nicholas Jones, Kiri Gillespie of the Bay of Plenty Times
Investigative Reporter·NZ Herald·
2 Apr, 2012 08:37 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Trevor took his parents, Kevin and Shirley, with him to the NZ Lotteries office in Wellington yesterday when he handed over his winning ticket and claimed his $26,598,265. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Trevor took his parents, Kevin and Shirley, with him to the NZ Lotteries office in Wellington yesterday when he handed over his winning ticket and claimed his $26,598,265. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Te Kauwhata man who bet his $26 million Lotto win that he would return to work this morning has failed to show up for his 5am shift.

Trevor, 34, works as a checkout operator at Countdown Huntly.

He travelled to Wellington with his parents yesterday to claim the $26 million after his big win on Saturday but flew back to Waikato last night so he could work his 5am shift today.

"I'm starting back at work at 5am ... and as long as they want me, I will be there. I love my job too much to just walk away from it,'' he said yesterday.

But a Countdown manager said he had not shown up for work this morning.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He had spoken to his manager about not coming to work, she said.

Yesterday he appeared on Campbell Live and bet John Campbell his entire $26m he would be at work today.

"I can bet you 26.5 million dollars I'll be on that checkout tomorrow,'' he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Countdown Huntly manager Marie Hodgson said Trevor had not shown and said he had called his checkout supervisor to let them know he would not be in, despite his original plans.

She did not know why.

"I think he spoke to his boss up on check out.''

Ms Hodgson said staff at the Huntly supermarket were pleased for their workmate.

Discover more

New Zealand

Tiny town scores big lottery win

01 Apr 02:44 AM
New Zealand

Waikato town abuzz over Lotto win

01 Apr 05:30 PM
New Zealand

Lotto winner claims massive prize

02 Apr 08:11 AM
Opinion

Editorial: Too big a win is not particularly healthy

06 Apr 05:30 PM

"They are all pretty excited,'' she said.

Trevor deserved the win.

"Pretty much what you see [with Trevor] is what you get.''

Ms Hodgson said Trevor came into work Monday morning to let his bosses know before he headed to Wellington to collect his winnings. Ms Hodgson said the big win "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy''.

When John Campbell heard Trevor had not shown up to work today he laughed, and then added: "I'm unable to comment because I'm now living in tax exile in Monaco, and (British Formula One driver) Jenson Button is about to give me a driving lesson''.

ENDING SMALL TOWN SPECULATION

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Thirty-four-year-old Trevor put an end to the rumour and speculation swirling around Te Kauwhata - population 1200 - when he went public with the news yesterday that he was the winner of Saturday's $26 million Lotto and Powerball draw.

"I believe it's easier to have it out in the open, rather than have everyone chasing around, following me, trying to find out who is actually the big winner. I've won it, end of story, you know?" said Trevor, a single man who was described by NZ Lotteries as the country's most eligible bachelor.

"I'm just having a couple of Heinekens at the moment, and it's really starting to sink in, pretty much. Hey, the bank balance is bigger than the phone number."

He told the Herald that after he saw the numbers online on Sunday, a trip to Te Kauwhata Four Square confirmed the win. The owners snuck him out the back door to avoid suspicion.

An hour later, still in a daze, he returned to the store to buy a packet of cigarettes - only to find it filled with television news crews.

"With my ripped trackpants on and my T-shirt, they sort of looked at me and looked the other way. So I thought, 'Bugger ya, I've won Lotto and I'm going home.'

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was like, 'Hey, I'm your winner, see you later ...' I got my packet of smokes and went back home [and] had a beer."

On Sunday, his flatmate woke him and told him to check his numbers because the winning ticket had been sold in Te Kauwhata.

He checked Powerball first, and then the rest of his numbers - three times.

"Apparently I collapsed to my knees on the ground, and all I could keep saying was, 'I made it, I won it, I've got $26 million'."

He drove to his parents' home in West Auckland to celebrate with them, his sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law.

"[Mum] said, 'Well, bring the ticket up and show me.' So the first thing I actually said was, 'Can I borrow $50 to get up there?' because I was broke."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A bath at 4 yesterday morning failed to calm his racing mind.

"At 5am, I was up and ... thinking, 'Hell, I'm 26-and-a-half million dollars richer today.' It was crazy. To be honest with you, it's insane."

Until Saturday night, Trevor had never won so much as a raffle. "If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."

He said he could not begin to comprehend how he might go about spending $26,598,265 - but there would be some overseas travel. He has been to Australia before for some car racing.

"I'll probably lie low for awhile, have a bit of a holiday, and get myself in a thinking place where I can work out what I want to do with the money.

"I can tell you one thing," said the racing fanatic: "My father, myself, my brother-in-law, you'll probably find us at Western Springs speedway come this time next season driving our race car."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Trevor said he had the same affection for Te Kauwhata, where he has lived for about three years.

"It is a lovely place to live and you couldn't ask for a better lot of neighbours, locals. Very family-orientated community."

Trevor's winnings are the second-largest individual payout and are made up of $333,333 from Lotto First Division and $26,264,932 from Powerball First Division.

Psychologist Sara Chatwin has counselled previous big Lotto winners and said it was unusual for them to go public with the news.

"People like to protect their anonymity because there are always people out there who are ready to pounce on an opportunity, plead poverty, ask for a loan - all of those things.

"These things can have negative implications for individuals, but most people figure it out; generally it turns out pretty well. But people do have to have plans in place."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

WINNING ADVICE

New Zealand Lotteries urges big winners to:

* Make sure the prizemoney gets deposited into an interest-earning bank account. The big decisions can be made later.
* Let off steam by taking out a small amount to do what you like with - shout your mates, or buy something for someone special.
* After you have decided on the best possible use for your money, use a professional adviser to help you invest some of it, and get advice about tax.
* When you contact an adviser, ask him or her how much the advice is going to cost you.
* Make sure your will is up to date, or ensure you get one.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

From top to bottom: Gisborne slumps to last on economic scoreboard, locals still optimistic

19 Jun 06:00 AM
New Zealand

Rotorua chef denies arson of his own home

19 Jun 06:00 AM
New Zealand

Peter Jackson seeks consent to create museum in Shelly Bay

19 Jun 05:21 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

From top to bottom: Gisborne slumps to last on economic scoreboard, locals still optimistic

From top to bottom: Gisborne slumps to last on economic scoreboard, locals still optimistic

19 Jun 06:00 AM

Residents say there is more to the story than Gisborne's economic ranking suggests.

Rotorua chef denies arson of his own home

Rotorua chef denies arson of his own home

19 Jun 06:00 AM
Peter Jackson seeks consent to create museum in Shelly Bay

Peter Jackson seeks consent to create museum in Shelly Bay

19 Jun 05:21 AM
Premium
‘Ardern lives in exile’: Jones attacks gas ban, calls for apology in fiery hearing

‘Ardern lives in exile’: Jones attacks gas ban, calls for apology in fiery hearing

19 Jun 05:00 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP