The man’s father was initially startled awake, thinking something was wrong.
“He was asleep and wondered what on Earth was going on.
“After I woke him up screaming, he understandably thought something terrible had happened until I turned my phone around and showed him the screen.”
The man was physically shaking as the reality set in.
“I didn’t know what to do. Honestly, I think I’m still in shock,” he said.
The man has no immediate plans for the money and will take time before making any decisions.
“It was so unexpected … things like this don’t happen to people like me. It’s life-changing money, and I want to make sure I make the most of it."
One of the other winners, from Wellington, bought his ticket on a regular visit to the Kāpiti Coast.
“I love to be by the sea, so I grab a coffee and have a stroll on the beach, and before I go home, I buy my tickets for the week ahead,” he said.
The man initially thought he had made a mistake after checking the numbers online later that night.
“I looked at the results online, and when I matched the numbers on my ticket, I thought I must have done something wrong. I looked back and forth at the ticket and the screen a good few times,” he said.
“When I saw that it was split between three people, I thought that was wonderful too – it’s a great amount of money for three families to share in.”
He hasn’t told his family about the win.
“I’ll wait until it’s in my bank account first and let myself process the news a bit more before I tell anyone, but I am looking forward to telling my children.
“This win means I can help them, and my grandchildren – it feels great to know I can give them a bit of a boost as they start their lives,” he said.
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 exceeding $1000, winners must complete an online prize claim form.
Winners with physical tickets must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.
For the Powerball jackpot to be claimed, a ticket holder must get all six Lotto numbers correct as well as the added Powerball number.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
