A Paraparaumu couple are still pinching themselves after winning an enormous $37.125 million Powerball prize last Wednesday – the third largest prize won by a single ticket in Lotto NZ’s history.

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, are occasional players who tend only to purchase a ticket when the jackpot is over $30 million – and happened to buy the winning ticket on a whim.

“I was on my way home after work and was craving a chocolate bar, so I quickly popped into the supermarket,” the woman said.

“While I was there, I noticed the high jackpot and thought I’d grab a Lucky Dip at the same time.”

With her chocolate bar and yellow ticket in hand, the woman headed home – but little did she know her life would be turned upside down hours later with a wake-up call from her husband.

“I was still up and scrolling online – trying to catch some footage of the women’s World Cup,” the man said.

“I came across a news item about the jackpot being struck in Kāpiti, along with a list of the winning numbers. So, I grabbed our ticket and began matching our numbers against the winning ones. It slowly dawned on me that one of our lines seemed to have all the winning numbers – including the Powerball. I couldn’t believe it!” the man said.

“It was well after ten by this time, and I was in such a rush to show my wife that I stumbled down the hall in the dark to wake her up.”

The woman was shaken by her husband’s frantic shouts. “Looking at the state of him, I thought, ‘Is this good news or bad news?’” she laughed.

Once she realised they were New Zealand’s latest multi-millionaires, the woman “burst into tears.”

The couple barely slept a wink that evening, while the following day was just as surreal.

“We were both at work the next day,” the man said. “I had a lot of meetings, but it was easy to get through them knowing I had this winning ticket!”

“Our children were just as emotional when we told them the next day,” the woman said. “They were non-stop crying and so happy for us.”

With their win safely claimed, the couple are excited about the future.

“We’re over the moon,” the man said. “This will be a big help for all our family. It means less pressure and more opportunities to do the things we’ve always wanted.

“There are so many people and causes close to our hearts we’d like to support – and this is the most important thing for us.”

Notes for editors:

• The winning $37.125 million Powerball First Division ticket was sold at New World Kāpiti in Paraparaumu for the draw on Wednesday 16 August.
• The winners would like to remain anonymous and do not wish to provide any further comment.
• This is the tenth Powerball First Division winner of 2023, and the third-highest Lotto and Powerball prize won in Lotto NZ history by a single ticket.
• The $37.125 million Powerball prize is made up of $37 million from Powerball First Division and $125,000 from Lotto First Division.

Powerball wins in 2023

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