The winning ticket was sold at Paper Plus Waihī & Toyworld in Waihī.
The prize includes $10m from Powerball First Division and $500,000 from Lotto First Division, said a Lotto spokesperson in a statement.
“Wednesday night’s winner is the fourth Powerball multi-millionaire this year, and the win comes two weeks after $10.5 million was won by a Hamilton woman.
“The woman had just returned from a trip away and had no idea Powerball had been won in Hamilton until she checked her ticket at her local Lotto store.
“One other lucky Lotto player will also be celebrating after winning $500,000 with Lotto First Division in last night’s live Lotto draw. The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Whangārei.”
Anyone who bought their ticket from the above store should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLotto App.
Players can phone Lotto NZ on 0800 695 6886 if they want to inquire about the best way to claim a prize.
Earlier this year, another Hamilton punter bagged $10.5m.
She went public with her win while remaining anonymous, revealing she won the mega riches after rummaging through her handbag and finding an unchecked ticket.
“I hadn’t heard Powerball had been won. I was looking for something in my bag when the tickets fell out and I thought I’d better remember to check them when I went down to the shop,” the woman said.
After she handed her tickets to a clerk at the shop, she said she won a few bonus lines on one ticket “and then the clerk just stopped and looked at me, then back to the screen, and back to me again”.
“I wondered what was going on. He said, ‘you’re our first division winner’. I just said, ‘oh my god, oh my god, you’re kidding me?’
“I didn’t even know how much it was at that point, but I was so shocked – nothing like this has ever happened to me.
“I had to sit down – I was shaking like a leaf,” she said.
She said she was still too shocked to know what to do with the money.
“There’s no words – it’s just so unbelievable. I’m walking around with a great big grin on my face.
“I don’t have any plans yet, but I’m looking forward to celebrating and sharing the news with my family.”
On January 8, a Wellington couple pocketed $7m in the first Powerball jackpot of 2025 and two weeks later a Taranaki couple who have played the same Lotto numbers for almost 20 years claimed an $8.3m prize.
What to do if you win
Ticket holders can see immediately if they have won if they purchased a ticket through MyLotto. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to the account.
For prizes of more than $1000, winners have to fill in an online prize form.
Results are available immediately after the live draws on TVNZ 1, which take place on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
They can also be found through the MyLotto app, online at www.mylotto.co.nz, at Lotto NZ retailers and on nzherald.co.nz.
Winners with a physical ticket must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.
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