Reluctant entrant a thrilled winner

Joseph Barrett at home with the TV he won in a Herald on Sunday competition. Photo / Doug Sherring

Joseph Barrett is glad he listened to his girlfriend. Because he did, the 36-year-old painter now has a flash new TV.

In fact, flash might be an understatement for the $11,000 appliance sitting in the lounge of Barrett's downtown Auckland apartment after he won the Herald on Sunday's TV giveaway.

The 65-inch box has a curved screen and more colour expression than conventional Samsung TVs. It's nano-crystal colour technology has "blacker blacks", making it perfect for watching men clad in black toss a rugby ball around.

Barrett can thank his girlfriend for his good fortune, after she encouraged him to enter when he really just wanted to sleep off a hangover.

"She convinced me to do it."

Barrett, who found out he had won the TV while painting a supermarket roof, was so uninvolved in his competition entry he did not initially realise how flash his new TV was.

A quick text to his girlfriend revealed the extent of his good fortune.

"She was a bit jealous when I won, but she's happy now."

He was tempted to sell the TV but had instead decided to enjoy it for a while - perhaps indefinitely.

For now, his old $600 TV has been relegated to the bedroom.

"The new TV's amazing. The picture quality is almost scary in how good it is. I'm enjoying the features on it, it would be hard to go back."