It was an auspicious start to the Lunar New Year for one lucky Hawke’s Bay couple after winning $8.3 million in Powerball last Saturday.

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, are regular players who bought a ticket earlier in the week.

“We fell asleep during the draw but woke up later and decided to check our ticket online,” the woman said.

“I saw four numbers line up, which I thought would be a Bonus Ticket. Then, I had five numbers, then six, and finally, the Powerball!” the woman exclaimed.

“I couldn’t believe it – I was shaking like a leaf. I showed my husband and said, ‘I think we just won $8 million!’”

Her husband was “just as gobsmacked. It was mind-boggling.”

The couple managed to calm down enough to fill out their Prize Claim Form but later found sleep elusive.

“It was a very long night – we couldn’t help but think about all the things we wanted to do,” the woman said.

Now that the couple have had a couple of days to come to terms with their massive win, they’ve started to form a plan.

“We’re not going to squander it. We’re pretty down-to-earth people – we’ll buy some nice things but save and invest the rest for our retirement,” the woman said.

“This is life-changing for us – in a good way!”

Notes for editors:

• The winning $8.3 million Powerball First Division ticket was sold on MyLotto for the draw on Saturday 10 February.
• The winner would like to remain anonymous and does not wish to provide any further comment at this stage.
• This is the second Powerball First Division winner of 2024.
• The $8.3 million Powerball prize is made up of $8 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division.

Powerball wins in 2024

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