$25,000 Fly Buys prize delights local woman

A couple of packets of chips has turned into a year on Easy Street for a Stratford woman. She is the winner of a Bluebird, New World and Fly Buys promotion that ran throughout September and October this year.

Christine says that, when the Bluebird representative called to tell her she had won, she thought the prize was a couple of boxes of chips. Upon realising that they were describing a prize worth more than $25,000, she thought it must be a hoax.

She was finally convinced of the validity of the call and says she is incredibly grateful to Bluebird, Fly Buys and New World for the prize, which includes $5000 of travel vouchers, a matching amount of New World vouchers, her power paid for a year and Sky TV for a year.

Christine was delighted to be able to use her $1000 shopping vouchers for Westfield, as she had already arranged to meet her daughter, Amanda, in Auckland for Amanda's 28th birthday. Christine says Bluebird was really helpful in organising that part of the prize early, meeting her off her plane in Auckland to give them to her so she could surprise Amanda, who was flying from the Gold Coast for the weekend in Auckland.

Bluebird's Territory Manager Nathan Kinane came to New World to congratulate Christine and hand her the prize package.

He says that he thinks it is "great that a prize of this nature and size goes to a small town, as they are the heart of New Zealand".

Craig Waite agrees, adding that the Stratford New World gives out "heaps of prizes with Fly Buys promotions".

While the Stratford Press was in store a multi-blender was given out to one lucky winner and Craig says that "upstairs right now" there are more than 10 prizes waiting to be won, including a big cooler with an iPod deck and a large hamper.

Craig says the message is simple: "Always swipe your Fly Buys card, and if you don't have one, then it is time to get one."

Christine agrees: "I never thought I would win, but here I am."