KEY POINTS:
A survey of big Lotto prize winners has shown that once they get over the shock of their success, they splurge on items which range from the mundane and predictable to the downright wacky.
The survey, of 75 past winners of between $400,000 and $15 million-plus, revealed that the first purchase for 23 per cent was the not-unexpected "nice bottle of wine" or a meal out.
For 19 per cent, the first purchase was a car.
A whopping 54 per cent followed the Kiwi dream of either buying new property or renovating an existing one and paying off debt.
Thirteen per cent paid for travel, and 7 per cent spent the largest proportion of their winnings on their family.
Perhaps the most valuable and long-lasting "purchase" was made by the couple who spent their jackpot on fertility treatment and now have a young daughter.
A buffalo-hunting trip and a marble statue were among the more unusual purchases and items such as fish smokers or a ride-on lawnmower among the more mundane.
Cosmetic surgery was also on the shopping list for some.
Random extravagance does also have its place, the Lotteries Commission survey showed, with one woman buying a pair of Prada shoes which gave her blisters and which she hasn't worn since.
Another bought a flash new fridge without checking whether it fitted in her kitchen. It didn't.
"Once winners have got over the shock of becoming wealthier, they have splashed out both practical and indulgent items that they have often wanted for a long time," said commission chief executive Todd McLeay.
"Many have a lot of fun doing more unusual things like buffalo hunting, while others, like the couple who paid for fertility treatment, have been able to enhance their family life."
The survey found that 13 per cent of big Lotto winners were office workers, 9 per cent horticulture and farm workers, and "a significant" 5 per cent were truck or taxi drivers.
Keeping their ticket secure until they could cash it in brought out some winners' inventiveness.
Some winners sellotaped the ticket to their chest, and more than one female winner stored it in her bra.
An optimistic lot, nearly all the big winners (90 per cent) said they still bought Lotto products weekly or frequently, with another 7 per cent saying they still bought tickets "sometimes".
Only two people said that they did not buy Lottery products any more.
- NZPA
