Christchurch Family Score $18.3 Million On First Ticket Bought In A Decade

A Christchurch family were the first of three lucky winners to claim an incredible $18.3 million prize from Saturday night’s historic $55 million Must Be Won draw – calling Lotto NZ’s Customer Support team within an hour of the live draw.

“This was the first ticket I’ve bought in maybe ten years,” said the winner.

“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 laughed.

The winner was quickly connected with Lotto NZ’s Winners’ team who guided them through the claims process.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he almost didn’t buy a ticket for Saturday’s big draw, and a routine trip to the supermarket was what prompted him.

“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,” he said.

Later that night, when reading the news, the man came across an article that the winning numbers were in.

“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.

“I told my wife and my mum and dad, and we stayed up talking into the night. None of us could sleep!”

With their winning ticket tucked safely inside a book on a shelf, the family headed out shopping the next day.

“All I could think about was the ticket at home and how maybe it wasn’t a good idea to leave it there,” he laughed.

“Let’s just say we didn’t stay out for long.”

The man plans to buy his first home, help family members with their mortgages, and do a little shopping in the upcoming sales – but says he’ll take time to figure out the best path forward.

“This win opens up a whole new world of opportunities for me and my family.

“It means my parents can finally retire – they have worked so hard to give us a good life – and that’s going to feel very special.

“It means I can give my children every opportunity to be the best they can be, with some of that everyday financial stress lifted.

The family haven’t celebrated their win yet but have already decided they are going to their favourite local restaurant for a quiet celebration in the coming days.

Auckland winner

The next lucky winner to discover they’d become an overnight multi-millionaire was an Auckland man who got an ‘incredible surprise’ after checking his MyLotto account early on Sunday morning.

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he only plays occasionally but had bought a few tickets in the lead up to the record-breaking $55 million jackpot.

“I play now and then, it’s easy to get busy and forget to buy a ticket. Honestly, it was just fortuitous timing that I remembered for this draw,” he said.

For his ticket, he chose a mix of his own numbers and a few random lines. “It was the random line that won,” he added.

The man was shocked when he opened the MyLotto app and saw the big number stamped across the top of his ticket.

“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!”

Later that morning, he shared the news with his wife, who couldn’t believe her eyes. While the couple haven’t celebrated yet, they plan to invest wisely and mark the occasion soon.

“We haven’t celebrated yet – I think once my wife sees it in the bank account and it really sinks in for us both, then we’ll have to arrange something special,” he said.

Notes:

• There’s been 46 millionaires made with Lotto NZ games so far this year – that’s one millionaire a week!
• The winning $18.3 million Powerball First Division tickets were sold at Pak N Save Moorhouse in Christchurch and on MyLotto to an Auckland player for the draw on Saturday 15 November.
• The prizes are made up of $18,333,333 million from Powerball First Division and $55,556 from Lotto First Division.
• The winners would like to remain anonymous and do not wish to provide any further comment at this stage.
• Saturday’s Must Be Won was the 13th in Lotto NZ history, the first time that jackpot has hit $55 million. This was a result of strong forecasted sales.
• In eight of the 13 previous Must Be Won draws, the jackpot has been split by multiple winners.

Powerball wins in 2025:

A history of Lotto NZ Must Be Won winners:

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