The third and final winner of Saturday's $40 million Powerball win has claimed his prize, which very nearly went to his best friend.
The Te Awamutu man had no idea that he'd won the jackpot until he headed into his local supermarket to pick up some supplies and decided to check his ticket at the same time.
"The ticket went through the machine and then the woman behind the counter asked me to come into the back office, and I thought 'what's going on here?'"
He says he was absolutely overwhelmed by the win.
"When she told me that I'd won and then how much... I can't tell you the first words out of my mouth, but let's just say there was quite a bit of swearing."
The man feels even luckier knowing that he almost gave the winning ticket away.
"I actually bought two tickets for the draw on the weekend, and I gave one to a friend for her birthday.
After the win he called her to share the news and says luckily she sees the funny side.
"I said to her 'you must be the unluckiest person in New Zealand. Everyone else had 1 in 3.8 million odds of winning, but your odds were 50/50'.
"I had her and some other mates around for a couple of drinks after I found out about the win, so we could all celebrate together. Everyone's been so supportive. The truth is that I really am one of the luckiest people in New Zealand."
The man says he is still deciding what to do with his winnings, but says he has already treated himself.
"I went out and bought some new clothes. Nothing too flash, but it was the first time I haven't had to look at the price tag. It's such an unreal feeling."
He also says he is looking forward to being able to help family and friends.
His winning ticket was bought from Oparau Roadhouse in Kawhia.
The other two winning tickets were bought from Pak'nSave Dunedin and on MyLotto from a family in Hamilton.
Newshub.
