For Gore resident Shirley Baird the birthday celebrations started early after she won the $15,000 first prize in the New Zealand Post Survey prize draw.

Mrs Baird, a long-time Gore resident, was told about the win three days before her 73rd birthday.

Her prize is a Prezzy Card - a prepaid Visa card - which she can use to make purchases up to the value of $15,000 wherever Visa cards can be used electronically.

She said the prize was a bolt out of the blue. “I’d forgotten all about the competition so it was a very unexpected birthday surprise. When they told me I had to put the phone down for a minute. It’s really a big thrill and the prize will be a great help.”

Some of the money could be used to do some things around her house, she said. “I haven’t really thought about what I might do for myself but I have one or two ideas about what I would do for others,” she said.

Mrs Baird said she likes to enter competitions and she has picked up some prizes over the years including a push bike for her grandson and an iPod. “But this is the biggest by far,” she said.

More than 200,000 households elected to take part in the voluntary New Zealand Post Survey and they were automatically entered into the prize draw.

The survey was conducted over July and August with the aim of ensuring more relevant marketing information is delivered to mail boxes.

In total there were $50,000 worth of prizes on offer including the first prize of $15,000 cash and more than 30 other prizes including one of two $5000 Home Entertainment Package gift cards.

Ends

For more information, please contact:

Keith FitzPatrick
Media Communications Manager
New Zealand Post Group
04 496 4566
027 453 9882