Vicky Marshall, 52, spun Lotto's winning wheel on Saturday night and became just the second person this year to strike its $1 million prize.
In a tearful video screened before her winning spin, the Hamilton office administrator spoke about her family's struggle.
Her children said they wanted for little, but their mum still tried to give them things she couldn't.
Ms Marshall cried as she spoke of how her children Dayna 21, Tyler 19 and 15-year-old Conor - all of whom she had brought up on her own for the past 15 years - were her life.
"So I leaned against the bench and I looked outside and just sort of said 'when are things going to change?' and I basically prayed.
"The whole time I was praying the ticket was sitting on the fridge."
The win was the biggest in a lucky week for Ms Marshall who a few days before won $25 on an Instant Kiwi Ticket and then a $200 bonus prize from her bank.
The family celebrated their enormous win and Conor's birthday with a steak dinner and dancing before returning to their Wellington hotel.
"But we got back there and couldn't sleep. It's just changed our lives."
Ms Marshall bought the $9 lotto ticket from a shop in the Grandview Mall about five weeks ago, and found out the Monday night after that she was going to Wellington to spin the wheel.
Because of her nerves and excitement she took the next day off work.
She said she had been saving for her family to go to a Waikato beach for Christmas as they always did.
They will still be taking the holiday - and they won't be hiring any upmarket accommodation.
"It will be tent city as usual. That's my only opportunity to get out of doing the dishes.
"Every year it's always very stressful what you are going to do at Christmas. You can't have Christmas presents and a holiday and you struggle to do both - but because of the investment that is going to occur I won't have to do that any more."
Neighbours Mark and Rebecca Riley were ecstatic at Ms Marshall's win, having texted her on Saturday afternoon to wish her luck.
They got a reply a few hours later saying, "Yeah baby, I got the mill".
Mr Riley said the win couldn't have happened to a more deserving person.
The couple said she would occasionally come over to their home to watch the All Blacks play and for the odd drink, but they never knew that she didn't have a bed to sleep on.
"She didn't seem to have a lot but she kept pretty quiet about it," said Mr Riley.
Ms Marshall said she would not change her 1997 Nissan, as she had recently spent a lot of money on getting its brakes fixed and a new warrant.
She has booked annual leave for this week to buy a new bed "with a headboard" and was also planning an appointment with an optometrist to have her eyes checked.
"I've been using these two-dollar shop glasses for a long time."
She said she wanted to buy a house and some land with room for a couple of horses, but was going to take her time.
"We are going to let our minds adjust and let our imaginations run wild. We are going to sit and wait a while."
New Zealand Lotteries Commission spokeswoman Karen Jones said the $1 million prize on the winning wheel was rarely struck, and Ms Marshall's win was only the second this year.
In a lucky weekend for some, a Nelson family also struck it big when they won $8.1 million after winning Lotto's first division prize 10 times as well as the top Powerball prize.
They took 10 tickets, each with their usual numbers, but with a different Powerball number on each ticket.
- James Ihaka, New Zealand Herald
