Winning $250,000 each just months away from being made redundant has given four workers at Fisher and Paykel's Mosgiel plant freedom from worry.
The syndicate, called Three Greedy Old Men and a Pretty Princess, won the Lotto $1 million first-division prize on Saturday night.
Speaking from the New Zealand Lotteries offices in Wellington yesterday, the group, whose members want to keep a low profile, said they were still in shock.
"We've not had much sleep," one said.
They had been playing the same numbers for about seven years, and could not believe it when they all came up on Saturday night.
"Pretty Princess" watched the numbers stack up from her couch at home.
"I got on the phone straight away to the other members to share the good news. It is just such good timing, with us all about to lose our jobs," she said.
The group, which had collectively worked at the factory for nearly 60 years, started buying Lotto tickets when they all worked together.
While they were thinking positively about life after Fisher and Paykel, one winner said "some of us are not getting any younger".
"This will take the pressure off us if we don't find work, as there is not a lot of work in Dunedin," "Pretty Princess" said.
The fortunate four are heading back to work today and plan to do some thinking about what to do with their winnings, with upgrading their cars or paying off the mortgage likely to be on the cards.
The group had told their workmates "as it would be pretty hard to hide our big grins when we have to go back to Fisher and Paykel", they said.
They plan to keep the syndicate going and will still use the same numbers.
In March, Fisher and Paykel announced the closure of its Dunedin plant with the loss of more than 400 jobs. The redundancies start next month.
Their winning Lotto ticket was sold at Roslyn Book and Toy Centre in Dunedin.
