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'Mate, go home': Colleagues tell $19m lotto winner to leave after he showed up to work

An Auckland man who won more than $19 million on Powerball was told to go home after he showed up for work after his win.

The man, who has chosen to remain unnamed, won NZ$19.1m in November on a Powerball ticket, Stuff NZ reports.

One of his co-workers, from the motorway he’s working on in Warkworth, said despite the win he still showed up for work.

"He turned up for the work, and I think the rest of the team said, 'mate, you probably need to go home'," the worker said.

The man won more than $19m but still showed up for work. Source: Supplied
The man won more than $19m but still showed up for work. Source: Supplied

The man spent nearly a week with the ticket in his pocket, unaware he’d won the top prize.

It was only when he walked into a supermarket to grab groceries that he realised he had the winning ticket.

"I handed over my ticket to the lady behind the counter and the words 'Congratulations, you are a first division winner' flashed up on the screen,” he said.

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"I asked the lady, 'What does this mean?' But the expression on her face gave it away – her eyes were wide and she had a massive grin on her face.”

The man said he went for a swim at the beach to clear his head before celebrating the win with his partner.