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Home / New Zealand

Lucky Lotto streak a $37m windfall for six winners

Natalie Akoorie
By Natalie Akoorie
Local Democracy Editor·NZ Herald·
20 Feb, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

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Sophie Gold keeps burning her pots - but then she can afford to replace them.

Mrs Gold (not her real name) and her husband won $5 million in the second Lotto draw of the year, on January 10, and the phone hasn't stopped ringing at the Nelson couple's home since.

"Everyone in town who knows about the win has just been really happy for us," Mrs Gold told the Weekend Herald.

"They give me a hug when they see me and say congratulations - it's been lovely. Although I have had to buy new pots, because it feels like every time I put the dinner on someone phones to congratulate us and have a bit of a chat, and I've burned most of my pots."

The Dolly Parton-loving couple, who will spend some of their winnings on a dream trip to the United States to visit Dollywood, are one of six major jackpot winners in the first seven weeks of the year.

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It's the luckiest winning streak for Lotto punters since 2010, with this year's big winners taking home more than $37.5 million in prizes.

This year Lotto NZ has created 10 new millionaires in Warkworth, Silverdale, Pukekohe, Tauranga, Whakatane, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Levin, Nelson and Hokitika.

Five have paid off their mortgage or bought a new home, one got their hands dirty with some DIY, two splashed out on a new car, and three hit the shops buying jewellery, big screen TVs and even a new pair of flip flops.

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Nine of the winners kept the ticket close to them in a wallet or handbag, but one couple hid it in the wardrobe.

Six of the winners say they will keep on working in the same job and all of them plan to keep playing Lotto, one buying another ticket the day they found out.

One winner plans to hit the bright lights of the Big Apple and travel to New York while a family syndicate say they will set their whanau up for life.

Mrs Gold said their win was still sinking in. "Your head is going in all directions for that first month. You don't think about the money and then all of a sudden you're in the middle of something and you remember again. It's very bizarre."

Discover more

New Zealand

Tauranga lotto player wins $4.5m

14 Feb 08:25 PM
New Zealand

Christchurch punter wins $1m in Lotto

07 Mar 09:29 PM

The couple flew to Auckland to collect their prize and caught a bus back to the airport, despite being $5 million richer. "We could have caught a limousine to the airport but it would have never occurred to us."

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