$36m winning ticket changes luck for Kuripuni Lotto

Their selling of the winning ticket in last evening's $36.1m Big Wednesday lotto prize continued a week of high drama for the Kuripuni Take Note Lotto and Post Shop in Masterton.
It came just three days after a man wearing a hoodie with a bandana across his face robbed them after passing a note to the lone teller and warning her he was armed with a gun. The man escaped with an unknown amount of cash and nobody was injured during the drama
Last night's Big Wednesday draw was the richest-ever New Zealand lottery prize with the winning numbers being 19, 9, 11, 39, 24 and 28 plus the correct coin toss of heads.
The prize includes $34,453,401 in cash, an Audi R8, a Porsche Cayenne, $250,000 credit on an American Express Platinum Card, $250,000 cash towards luxury travel, a Four Winns V258 boat and $750,000 cash towards a bach.
The Kuripuni Take Note Lotto and Post Shop not only sold the winning ticket but also another which has won Big Wednesday second division worth $696.795. It is also believed to have gone to the winner of the big prize.
The marvellous news from last night will have people around the rest of the country thinking Masterton's streets are paved with gold.
A Powerball ticket bought at New World Masterton was $5.5m just 11 days ago, the same day a ticket bought at Kuripuni Take Note Lotto and Post Shop won $500,000 in Lotto's first division.
Speaking to NZPA last night, Maureen Taute, who owns the lucky Kuripuni outlet with husband Allen and their daughters, said they had sold at least 2000 tickets in the past week.
"Being a small town somebody will know who has won for sure. It will be out within 24 hours who has won," Mrs Taute predicted.
New Zealand Lotteries said 4.78m Big Wednesday tickets were sold for last night's draw, compared with $500,000 in an average week. It generated $28m in sales.
Almost 20 cents in every dollar on lottery tickets is transferred to the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board to be distributed to good causes.
New Zealand Lotteries spokeswoman Karen Jones said someone had phoned the hotline late last night claiming they had the winning ticket but would give few details.
"Obviously it is only phone contact and they will have to go through the official process," she said.
The winner could either present the ticket to a Lotto outlet anywhere in New Zealand or visit the New Zealand Lotteries office in Wellington to fill out the prize claim forms.
Special precautions would be taken to protect the privacy of the winner, Ms Jones said. That could include meeting them in another town or away from the New Zealand Lotteries office.