$22m Powerball prize won

Easter Iakapo, Terry Steenson and Toeupu Soonaita from Pak 'n Save in Manukau celebrate the store's 13th 1st division win. Photo / Robert Trathen

New Zealand's biggest Lotto Powerball winner wakes up this morning an incredible $22 million richer.

A ticket bought at Pak 'N Save in Manukau city scooped the top prize - a combination of $22,206,973 from Powerball First Division and $227,406 from Lotto First Division.

The win cements the store's reputation as one of New Zealand's luckiest Lotto outlets.

It sold one of five winning tickets in last October's biggest combined Powerball payout - the unprecedented $30 million Must Be Won draw. Last night's win took the number of First Division winning tickets sold there to lucky 13.

"When we heard the winning ticket was sold here we put it over the loudspeaker," said duty manager Terry Steenson.

"I think there were a few customers hoping it was them. It's a big thing for the shop. The staff are pretty excited. I don't know how much I'll sleep tonight."

Samoan checkout supervisor Toeupu Soonaita was "really shocked" the store had sold another big prize and hoped the winner would donate some money to tsunami relief.

Fellow checkout supervisor Easter Iakopo had no idea who the winner was, and wasn't confident of finding out soon. "Last time it took weeks for the person to check the ticket."

In June, a Masterton syndicate won the biggest Lotteries Commission payout - $36.9m in the Big Wednesday draw.

Two of those multi-millionaires recently followed through on their promise to make a donation to the Wairarapa District Health Board.

The previous top Powerball prize was held for more than a year by a New Plymouth family who won $19m in April last year.

Last October's $30m draw was shared by winners from Auckland, Manukau, Wellington (2) and Reefton.

Big Lotto winners Geoff and Helen Henderson have previously offered sound advice to overnight millionaires.

When they hit the jackpot more than three years ago, Geoff was 58 and a credit manager. Helen was 59 and worked as a cook in a resthome.

Their advice was to first buy something silly for fun - then find a good lawyer and accountant, and seek sound and independent financial advice.

Five other Lotto players last night won a $227,406 share of the First Division pool. Those tickets were sold in Omapere, Gisborne, Levin, Upper Hutt and Christchurch.

A Lotto spokeswoman said the $22m Powerball jackpot had prompted the sale of more than one million tickets - 50 per cent up on usual.