On January 8, a Wellington couple pocketed $7m in the first Powerball jackpot of 2025, while two weeks ago, a Taranaki couple who have played the same Lotto numbers for almost 20 years claimed an $8.3m prize.
“We picked the numbers together a long time ago and have been playing them ever since,” the woman said.
The woman was going to clean her car when she heard on the radio that a MyLotto player from Taranaki had won.
“I was on my way out the door when I heard the news and said to my husband, ‘I’d just better check the ticket because otherwise I’d be thinking it could be me, it could be me’,” she said.
Two weeks ago, a Taranaki couple who have played the same Lotto numbers for almost 20 years claimed an $8.3m prize. Photo / Lotto
The woman grabbed her iPad and logged into MyLotto to watch the virtual draw.
“I watched all the numbers come up one after the other – I was just speechless – and then when I saw the amount, it was absolutely incredible,” she said.
“There were a few tears, that’s for sure. We kept looking at the ticket to check it was real – it was unbelievable.”
The lucky couple spent the rest of the day talking about what they wanted to do with their winnings, but said life would not change significantly.
“We’re not going to make any immediate big decisions but one thing we did decide on straight away is how we’re going to help our family,” the woman said.
“We’re excited to get together and tell them the good news, when the time is right.”
What to do if you win
Ticketholders 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.
