Deb Winter of Ashburton bought a stockpot and a flexi-tub at Mitre 10 Mega Ashburton and won a brand-new $68k double cab ute.
The Toyota Hilux SR5 Cruiser Hybrid 4WD was the grand prize in Mitre 10’s nationwide Winter Promotion.
Yesterday, she collected the keys to her new graphite-coloured ute amid much fanfare at the Ashburton store.
“Just unbelievable,” she said of the win.
‘‘It’s really sad that the first thing that you think about is ‘oh this is a scam’. Some random rings you and says you’ve won first prize in and it’s a Hilux ute.
‘‘But (it’s) just amazing.’’
She now has big plans for the new addition and planned to swap out her trusty Toyota Rav for the newer model and head off-road. ‘
‘‘When the universe gives you something that cool, you’ve got to have fun with it,’’ she said.
‘‘I drive a Toyota Rav. I’m a Toyota girl for the last 20 years. Toyota’s are just so reliable.
“This is my new baby. I love to go for picnics, love to head to the beach or up into the hills or to the lakes, so this is absolutely ideal,” she said.
“I’m going to put my kayak on it, my dog on it and my bike on it and it’s just perfect.’’
Winter said she had entered the competition to surprise her youngest son in Australia.
Winter, encouraged to enter the draw by the checkout operator, said she thought it would be a great surprise for her Hilux-mad son, Alex, in Australia.
But never expected to win.
Her name was randomly drawn from more than 200,000 entries nationwide.
‘‘As I was walking out, I thought how cool would (Alex) think it would be if mum had one of those parked up the driveway next time he comes home.’’
It got the reaction she thought.
She said Alex, age 20, was ‘‘absolutely stoked. He tried to find ways to get it shipped over to Australia’’.
Winter got to choose her preferred colour with the help of family.
Winter’s daughter Liv said the timing of the win had been ‘truly remarkable’.
Her mum had suffered a stroke last month, and scans had discovered a cancerous mass in her brain.
The call from Mitre 10 was the very same day her mum had met with her oncologist, she said.
‘‘The timing of that call was truly remarkable – it brought light and hope to a very difficult moment in her life. ‘
‘Winning the Hilux has not only lifted her spirits but has given her something to look forward to. It’s become a symbol of strength and healing for her, and it’s helping us transport her more comfortably to her regular medical appointments.
‘‘She’s even planning future adventures with her truck, and it’s been wonderful to see her eyes light up again.’’
In store for the celebration, staff member Carollyn Allison, also of Ally’s Kitchen, created a ute shaped cake inspired by the win, as well as Mitre 10 Mega cupcakes for the staff.
Managing director Simon Lye said the team at Mitre 10 Mega Ashburton were thrilled to see the prize picked up by someone in their community.
“As Ashburton is not a big city, we are feeling very proud to see one of our locals win a national promotion and such a great prize,’’ he said.
‘‘Our team were really pushing to get as many of our customers as possible entered in the competition.
‘‘We even managed to get a Hilux in store for a few days to show off the prize.’’
He said it was a tight squeeze.
‘‘A big thank you to all our local customers who entered and our Mitre 10 Mega Ashburton team who encouraged customers to enter the promotion.”
