A $20 million Powerball prize sold at a West Auckland store three weeks ago remains unclaimed.
Lotto NZ said the ticket was sold at Blockhouse Bay's Postshop & Stationers ahead of the Saturday July 25 draw.
The jackpot was $40 million split between two winners.
Half of the pot was won by a lucky young Auckland couple, leaving $20.1 million up for grabs.
Will Hine, head of corporate communications at Lotto NZ, said it was unusual for such a large prize to go unclaimed beyond a few days of the draw.
"We usually hear from people pretty quickly after a big prize has been won, but in this case, it seems we need to give the winner a little nudge to check their ticket."
Hine said the organisation was keen to unite the winner with their earnings as soon as possible as the prize had "the power to completely change someone's future".
Lotto rules state winners have 12 months from draw day to claim their prize.
Tracking down winners
Lotto previously told 1News if after two weeks no winner comes forward it begins to track them down.
When tracking down a winner, a Lotto spokesperson said they "are very careful in the way we go about finding someone, as keeping anonymity for our winners is key”.
For winning tickets bought in-store, Lotto can access specific details such as the exact date, time and payment method used when purchasing the ticket.
"This information helps us investigate, and we can also use CCTV footage in accordance with our Privacy Policy," the spokesperson said.
If a ticket has been lost, assuming no one else has found it and claimed its prize, Lotto may still be able to pay out the prize to the rightful owner if they provide specific information.
Under the 2003 Gambling Act, winners have up to 12 months from the draw date to claim their prize.
If the prize goes unclaimed after that time, it gets transferred to the funds for future prizes, ensuring all the money is returned to future players. Lotto can't take it for profit.
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