Winners' Stories

March 2013, Christchurch

Source: The Star, Christchurch (29/03/2013)

Wedding anniversary bonus

A lucky Christchurch couple couldn't believe it when they received a call to tell them they'd won $50,000 in the recent March Bonus Bonds draw while they were out for lunch celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary.

"My husband took the phone call outside and when he walked back in, all he said was ‘we've just won $50k.' It was quite surreal," said Debra Chapman.

"I kept thinking, ‘of all the days to get a phone call like that.' It really was the most incredible anniversary present."

Mrs Chapman and husband Tim have been planning to fix up parts of their house which suffered quake-damage and say the win comes at a great time for them.

"The win has opened up options for us. Now we can do what we want to do, as well as what we need to do which is nice," said Mrs Chapman.

"We would both love to go on holiday next year, and my husband wants a new 50in flat screen TV, but that's not high on the priority list," she joked. "It's certainly removed the stress from our lives."

In the meantime, the couple plan to keep their winnings in their Bonus Bonds account.

"We never thought we would win a prize like this, but now we are feeling lucky. We want to see if we can win the million next," says Mrs Chapman.

February 2013, Nelson

Source: Sarah Dunn, Nelson Leader (28/02/2013)

Alan's feeling lucky

When Nelson man Alan Jordan heard he had won $100,000 through Bonus Bonds, he couldn't believe his ears.

He had recently sold his home and was keeping some of the money in his Bonus Bonds account to boost his chances for a big win.

Bonus Bonds are a savings scheme run by ANZ Bank that pays out tax free cash prize rather than interest. Each $1 bond represents one chance to win, and each month the scheme pays out prizes ranging from $20 to $1 million.

"I didn't think it was real. It wasn't until the manager came around with a bottle of wine that I really got excited," said Alan, a mechanic who has had Bonus Bonds for 40 years. The windfall came only a month after he had placed the money from his house into the Bonus Bonds account.

Alan made an offer on a holiday home by Lake Rotoiti this week and plans to buy a boat and a couple of canoes once he is settled.

"It's opened up so many options. I have lots of ideas about what to do with the money. At the moment I feel pretty good about keeping it in the Bonus Bonds account," he said.

"It's given me the freedom to do what I want to do without running out of money."

Since his big win, Alan has also won a further $1,000 through his ANZ Serious Saver account.

"I'm feeling pretty lucky at the moment," he said.

December 2012, Whangarei

Source: Whangarei Leader (13/01/2013)

A woman considering the unemployment benefit has struck the big time with a
$1 million Bonus Bonds prize.

The Whangarei woman prefers to remain anonymous but says the windfall in December came after she finished a year of tertiary education but had not found a job. "It was perfect timing. I didn't believe it at first but when the local ANZ branch called to meet with me it became real." The woman started a Bonus Bonds account when she was 10 and recently inherited money which she also invested in bonds. Since then she has enjoyed winning monthly prizes between $20 and $160 but says the $1m prize came as a complete shock. "I feel really lucky. I know that only 12 customers get to feel like this a year so I feel very privileged." She says. At this stage she sees the win as a buffer that has lifted a huge load off of her shoulders and she is planning to live off the win for a while.

The youngest Bonus Bonds holder to win $1m was just seven years old and the oldest was 87.

Bonus Bonds pays out monthly prizes of $1m, $100,000, $50,000 plus multiple prizes of $5,000, $500, $100, $50 and $20.

The New Zealand brand was founded in 1970 as a savings scheme that pays out tax-free cash prizes rather than interest.

Each bond costs $1 and gives one chance to win each month, with a minimum investment of $20.

October 2012, South Auckland

Bonus Bonds jackpot goes to 19-year-old after parents forget to transfer ownership - but all family profit in end.

A South Auckland teenager has become a millionaire from an investment belonging to his parents because they didn't get around to transferring it into their names.

The 19-year-old from Papatoetoe, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was in shock when he was told he had won the top prize of $1 million in the Bonus Bonds monthly draw. He hung up twice on the ANZ representative who rang him because he thought it was a practical joke.

"It wasn't until she rang a third time that I suspected she might be telling the truth. I was just basically in shock," he said.

His parents bought the $1500 in bonds from their son to help him buy his first car four years ago. But they never got around to transferring the bonds into their names.

"It was up to them but they never ended up doing it. I was a bit young to know about that sort of stuff."

He said there were no hard feelings. He had paid off their mortgage of almost $300,000. He has also bought a $19,000 car and a laptop, and a boat for his brother. The family were also looking at buying a new house.

"It would have been spent in exactly the same way anyway. They are happy as, to be honest. And I know that what's theirs is also mine, so I don't mind," the teenager said.

"We never ever in our wildest dreams thought this would happen. At the time we thought about going in and changing [the names] over," his mother said. But it was likely she would have simply withdrawn the amount in cash.

The parents had been buying Bonus Bonds for their two sons since they were 3 years old.

August 2012, Wanganui

A Wanganui couple is "absolutely thrilled" after receiving a phone call from their local ANZ Branch to tell them they won $50,000 in the August prize draw.

"When we found out about the $50,000 we were in such a shock. I had to ask the ANZ staff member to repeat the figure because I thought I must not have heard it right."

The couple has held Bonus Bonds for three years, each month winning $60 to $80 worth of prizes, but not in their wildest dreams did they expect to win such a large sum.

"There has only been one month where we haven't won at least a small prize. It's always such a thrill going to the letterbox to see if we we've won even $20," says the couple.

They have decided to keep a portion of their winnings with Bonus Bonds, give some to each of their two children and put the rest towards bathroom renovations.

Bonus Bonds offer the potential to win more in tax-free prizes than can be earned with most other savings accounts, as with Bonus Bonds there is the chance to win a share of thousands of cash prizes each month.

August 2012, Dunedin

Would you have trouble believing it was for real if you got a phone call to let you know you had won a major prize? That's exactly how one of our major prize winners from Dunedin felt when she found out she had won $50,000 in the August prize draw.

The woman says she was in shock when she received the news. "I had dreamed of a big win like this but it was completely unexpected.

The winner invested in Bonus Bonds to make sure she did not spend an inheritance she had received. She will keep the win in Bonus Bonds for now but plans to do some home renovations and travel overseas to see family.

Bonus Bonds offer the flexibility of being able to cash in the investment at any time and the chance to achieve enhanced investment returns through monthly prize draws.

June 2012, Waikato

Winner to help daughter have her dream wedding

One of the $100,000 winners from the June prize draw has decided to use her win on something very special.

She originally purchased the bonds to save for her daughter's wedding and then put them out of sight and out of mind, frequently winning small prizes, but nothing over $50.

"I loved getting the small prizes as well, but I remember when the last one came through, I said to my husband, ‘Why can't I get more zeroes?' And then I got the phone call!"

Once she has helped with her daughter's wedding, the winner is yet to decide what to do with the remainder of her prize money, but is contemplating investing some of it back in to Bonus Bonds.

"The news is still sinking in; I'm going to enjoy planning what to do with the rest of the prize. It's a real gift."

Have you considered investing in Bonus Bonds to save for something special?

March 2012, Dunedin

Imagine finding out that you had won $50,000 from an investment you had forgotten about! That's exactly what happened to one lucky Bonus Bonds holder in our March draw.

This $50,000 winner from Dunedin held just $130 in Bonus Bonds. His mother had originally invested a small sum in Bonus Bonds for him a number of years ago, which he added to years later. Both were investments that had been forgotten about. Upon hearing the news that he'd won $50,000, our winner was quickly off to buy himself a much needed upgrade to his laptop and ponder what else to do with his winnings!

Could you have Bonus Bonds that you may have forgotten about? What would you do if you won $50,000?

February 2012

A man in his early forties discovered the potential of Bonus Bonds in our February prize draw. With only $30 invested, this $1 MILLION prize winner found out that even small investments in Bonus Bonds can prove life changing.

He had $10 invested by his father years ago and $20 won from an earlier prize; less Bonus Bonds than any of our 56 previous $1 MILLION grand prize winners. And if you ever thought Bonus Bonds purchased years ago don't still have chances to win, the bond number that won the grand prize was the first bond number purchased by our winner's father when he was a young boy.

Do you have Bonus Bonds from years ago? Are you unsure if they are live, or better still if they have won any prizes? Either sign up for MyBonusBonds or visit any ANZ branch to find out.

December 2011, Wellington

An eight-year-old Wellington girl won $100,000 in our 500th draw (December 2011) after holding just $270 worth of Bonds for 5 years. Her father purchased them as a way of putting aside some savings for "his little princess." When told of his daughter's winnings he was absolutely thrilled. "I told my wife a few months ago that I had a hunch something good was about to happen to our family. When I got the call today, to say our little girl's Bonus Bonds had won her $100,000, I knew my hunch had been confirmed! "Our little girl is very precious and we have always wanted to provide for her future. We haven't yet had a chance to let the news sink in, and at this stage we're unsure how we will invest the money; all I know is that today is a good day for our little family."