A Bay of Plenty couple says they feel "incredibly lucky" and are still "stunned" after winning $8.3 million with Lotto Powerball last Saturday.
The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, revealed they had no idea they become New Zealand's latest multi-millionaires until hearing the winning ticket had been sold at their local store days later.
"I bought a Triple Dip on Saturday morning but forgot about it until Monday afternoon when I was driving home and heard on the radio that someone from Whakatāne had won the big one," the man said.
"My heart was thumping, and I thought, 'Hang on, that could be me!'"
The man then quickly raced home to check his ticket on the MyLotto App.
"I looked at my numbers, and straight away, all my numbers matched. I thought, 'No way!'
"After walking around dazed like a stunned mullet, I waited for my wife to get home to share the good news," he said.
When his wife got home, he sat her down and told her someone from Whakatāne had won the $8.3 million Powerball.
"I made her check the ticket on the app, and when she realised we had all six numbers and the Powerball number, she was gobsmacked," he said.
The couple celebrated with a few drinks before sharing the wonderful news with their children.
"We called them up, and they were rapt - everyone was so happy for us," the man said.
After a night of restless sleep, the couple claimed their prize the next day in-store.
"After the retail operators checked our ticket and confirmed we'd won, we started crying and jumping up and down," the man said.
"We still can't believe it," the man said. "We feel incredibly lucky."
The couple said they plan to keep working and invest a big part of their winning.
"Not only for our children but also our moko. We want to create something valuable for the future generations," the man said.
The winning $8.3 million Powerball First Division ticket was sold at Halfway Store in Whakatāne for the draw on Saturday.
This is the 17th Powerball First Division winner of 2023.
