Before her 4-year-old daughter was born, she was a commercial jet boat driver for Goldfields Jets, near Cromwell.
She now works with her partner, Cam Perkins, in their Keep It Green landscaping and irrigation business.
"I thought it would be very cool to win something and support a good cause as well. But I have not had a boat before. My partner, Cam, has had one but he sold it five or six years ago. My 4-year-old, she was very excited as well," Ms Deaker said.
Mr Walmisley said South Islanders won three top prices in the national raffle this year.
He understood the others were from Invercargill and Cromwell.
"We sold about 1100 tickets [in Wānaka], and we get $7 from each ticket. They are $10 each. So to us, it is a major part of our fundraising. To put it in perspective, it is about two months of our running costs," Mr Walmisley said.
Operating costs were also covered by other fundraising activities and donations.
The Wānaka unit had attended about 15 calls for assistance this summer, on par with previous years.
