Winner of $25 house raffle announced

BIG WIN: Michelle and Murray Smith sold their upmarket five-bedroom lakefront house in a fundraising raffle.

A couple who put their lakeside home near Karapiro up for sale as part of a church fundraising raffle have announced the winner.

The lucky winner however, Warwick Hutchinson, is keen to keep out of the spotlight.

Michelle and Murray Smith put their house up for a $25 ticket raffle to raise funds for a new church and community centre in Cambridge. The Auckland man beat out about 48,000 other ticket buyers to win the home, independently valued at over $1 million.

Upon learning he had won Mr Hutchinson said it was a great shock and, while the prospect of public attention made him uncomfortable, he was thrilled and overwhelmed.

"I'm so grateful to receive this at a most strategic time in my life," he said in a statement.

"I sincerely wish Bridges Church and the Smiths the very best in their endeavours as they move forward with their project."

Mr Hutchinson did not yet know his plans for the property. The Smiths' five-bedroom house with lake views, incorporates two self-contained guest units.

More than 40,000 entries were sold in the promotion offering scenic photographs and a chance to win the upmarket five-bedroom house and two self-contained guest units.

This morning while television cameras were rolling Mr Hutchinson was told about  his win and reacted by saying: "I'm a private person and really don't want to go on TV."

However the Smiths told Close Up tonight that they had spent some time with Mr Hutchinson today who was "very shy, but he was excited".

"He wanted to see us, not you," Mr Smith told Close Up's Mark Sainsbury.

In the promotion people bought 48,000 sets of six Waipa District photographs for $25 - each set giving one chance to win the property.

The Smiths, who have six children, have said they planned to give all the money to Bridges Church, where Mr Smith is a pastor, minus what was needed to cover campaign expenses.

They raised $1,226,422 in less than three months, which will help fund the project's construction.

Mrs Smith told the Waikato Times last month they were ecstatic that they had been able to make a difference in some people's lives. "The benefits of sharing our story with thousands around the world and inspiring them has been more rewarding than the money we have raised so far."

The Internal Affairs Department put a time limit on the promotion, which established an ongoing income stream via the Piece of NZ website, www.apieceofnz.co.nz, which will continue to sell products online to fund Cambridge community activity.

- with NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News