The spur of the moment decision of a Christchurch man to buy a Lotto ticket for the first time in 10 years has left his family $18.3 million richer following Saturday's record-breaking draw.
The winning tickets were sold at New World Kawerau in Bay of Plenty, Pak'nSave Moorhouse in Christchurch and on MyLotto to a player from Auckland. The prizes were made up of $18,333,333 from Powerball First Division and $55,556 from Lotto First Division — totalling $18,388,889 each.
The Christchurch winner said he planned to use the windfall to buy his family's first home, help relatives with mortgages, and "do a little shopping".
He was on the phone to Lotto NZ within an hour of the numbers being drawn.
"I wanted to make sure what I was seeing was right, so I thought the best way was to call the people who drew the numbers," he said.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he almost didn't buy a ticket for the big draw, but a routine trip to the supermarket changed his mind.
"We were doing the usual grocery shop and as we were walking in, I saw the queue to buy tickets – that's when I remembered the big draw.
"It's been so long since I bought a ticket that I had to ask the operator which ticket I needed."
Later that night, while reading the news, he realised the winning numbers matched his ticket.
"When I realised I had six Lotto numbers, that's when I thought I could be in with a chance, then I saw Powerball number six – and I was speechless."
He shared the news with his wife and parents, and the family stayed up talking into the night.
"None of us could sleep."
The winning ticket was tucked safely inside a book on a shelf while the family went shopping the next day but nerves quickly brought them home.
"All I could think about was the ticket at home and how maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave it there," he said.
The man said the win would allow his parents to retire and give his children "every opportunity to be the best they can be".
The family hadn't celebrated yet but planned a quiet dinner at their favourite local restaurant.
Auckland winner wakes to 'incredible surprise'
The second lucky winner was an Auckland man who discovered his windfall early Sunday morning after checking his MyLotto account.
He said he only played occasionally but bought a few tickets ahead of the record-breaking draw.
"Honestly, it was just fortuitous timing that I remembered for this draw."
The winning ticket came from a random line.
"I know anyone could win, especially with it being a must-win draw, but I never expected it to happen to us – it was an incredible surprise to wake up to."
The couple planned to invest wisely and celebrate once the money landed in their account.
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