Lotto lady out of work with two weeks’ notice after nearly 30 years’ service

Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Pak’nSave Lotto lady Katie Tippler has been told not to come back to work after changes to the Palmerston North store’s layout prompted the axing of her job.

Pak’nSave Lotto lady Katie Tippler is heartbroken to have been made redundant, a casualty of the physical redevelopment of the Palmerston North store’s entrance.

After working at the Ferguson St supermarket for nearly 30 years, she had been forced to leave the job that she said was her world.

She left with no farewells, no redundancy payment and just the minimum two weeks’ notice that she does not have to work through.

Tippler, 56, has a disability, neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic condition that affects the bones and triggers the growth of benign tumours under the skin.

The way her foot would drop and cause her to trip prompted amputation of her lower leg nine years ago, and the fitting of a prosthetic leg.

She said there were people who thought she would give up on life, but she was determined to keep going.

Katie Tippler, second from right, has not allowed her prosthetic leg and redundancy to get her down, taking part in the Manawatū Striders 5km walk/run from Massey University Recreation Centre on Sunday.

“You have to carry on.”

The prosthetic leg enabled her to walk and stand for short periods, but the Lotto job suited her well as she was able to sit down.

She had been at the Lotto desk for 15 years, having earlier worked on the checkout.

She worked 40 to 45 hours a week earning just above the minimum wage.

“The customers know me, and I know what they want to buy.

“My job’s really important to me, and it’s important for my mental health.

“I love the job and the connection.”

Katie Tippler’s job as a Lotto operator has been axed, leaving the disabled woman unemployed after nearly 30 years employment.

Her most exciting day on the job was seeing a customer with a $1 million winning ticket, and being given $100 from the prize.

She first became aware that the store refurbishment was going to prompt staffing changes back in March, when she was told the standalone Lotto operator position would no longer exist.

Workers First Union organiser Dion Martin got involved.

He challenged the store to redeploy her into another position, but she was told she was not suitable for a supervisor role or to work on the checkouts.

On Monday, May 4, she was called in on her day off to be given her two weeks’ notice, which was all her employment contract required, and told not to return.

Grocery Action Group chair Sue Chetwin tells Laura Tupou a single new competitor will not be enough to lower food prices, saying government must push for structural change to the supermarket duopoly of Foodstuffs and Woolworths.

“I have had that job longer than I had my parents,” she said, as both her parents had died when she was in her 20s.

“I want my customers to know, I have not left. I wanted to stay but I was told to go.”

Martin said he would continue fighting to get a better deal for Tippler, claiming that she had been discriminated against because of her disability.

Supermarket owner-operator Steve Duffield was approached for comment.

A statement, attributed to a Foodstuffs North Island spokesperson, acknowledged Tippler’s long contribution to Pak’nSave and that her departure had been a “very difficult and upsetting situation”.

Her departure was part of a wider store refurbishment and changes to the way some services were delivered. The stand-alone Lotto counter had been disestablished.

“Lotto services are now integrated into the main customer service counter, as is already the case in a number of other stores.”

The spokesperson said employment decisions were made by each individual store owner. The store undertook a formal restructure process in line with its employment obligations, including consultation with affected team members.

“While we can’t comment on the details of an individual employment matter, we do expect situations like this to be handled with care and respect for the people involved.”