Lotto Powerball draw: $44m winners come forward

Lotto has confirmed the winning $44 million Lotto prize has been claimed.

The owner of Manly Price Cutter in Whangaparaoa earlier today told the Herald a man walked into the store this morning and presented the winning ticket.

Nishchal Pandya who owns the Dairy Flat Food Mart and Liquor store where the ticket sold as well as the one where the ticket was allegedly presented said: "I just got a call from my other store the prize has been claimed from there."

A Lotto spokesperson this afternoon confirmed the ticket had been presented by an Hibiscus Coast couple, Newshub reports.

They want to remain anonymous, Lotto NZ reportedly told Newshub.

Earlier, Pandya said he was so excited when he found out about his shop's first big win and hoped a local was the lucky winner.

"I didn't have any words. I was very excited. I can't think what I should do.

"I hope it's someone from our community."

He has bought a bottle of Champagne to celebrate with the winner.

Pandya sold about 2000 tickets at his Dairy Flat store yesterday.

Lotto players who have already checked their tickets stomped into the store to announce "it wasn't me".

Based on an interest rate of 4 per cent, the lucky winner would stand to pocket around $33,800 a week in interest alone if he or she did not touch the full winnings.

Despite the big Powerball win, Dairy Flat locals are taking the day in their stride, eating pies, filling up with gas and buying newspapers, like they do every morning.

Local activities co-ordinator Nikki Odlin was getting her tickets checked at the store this morning and shared a few stories of lucky winners from her days selling Lotto.

A homeless woman won $800,000 when Odlin was working at PaperPlus Whangaparaoa 12 years ago. She said the woman shuffled in with ragged clothes and bare feet before finding out she'd won the big prize.

"She cried because she was so happy. She had nothing.

"I think she was in shock."

The next day the woman returned to the shop with flowers and chocolate for Odlin. Then she never saw her again.

"Hopefully she did really well for herself."

In another rags to riches story Odlin said a solo mother went to Glenfield Mall with her last few dollars. She had a choice to buy shoes for her child or a Lotto ticket. She went with the gamble and won more than $100,000.

Store employee Sujal Patel said the Foodmart had printed a ticket that won around $230,000 in Lotto's Bullseye last year.

He agrees with his boss that it would be nice for the winner to be a local.

"Everyone works too hard here, so they deserve it."

A North Shore Aerodrome member, who didn't want to be named, said everyone was talking about the "lucky bugger" when they came into work.

"Unfortunately none of us won."

Silverdale firefighter Becky Wood is jealous of the winner but hopes the prize has gone to a good person.

"I hope it goes to someone who hasn't had much money before. Maybe someone older.

"I'm hoping they'll share it around."

Te Atatu man Aniseto Iole was waiting outside for the store to open this morning.

He went to buy two tickets yesterday but the store accidentally printed out four. He decided to only take two but was gutted when he discovered the store won last night.

"I couldn't go back to sleep after that."

Local man Nui buys his lotto ticket twice a week from the Dairy Flat Food Mart and Liquor shop, which sold the winning ticket, except this week when he bought it from Silverdale. He's kicking himself.

"Life's a small, stupid world. Just when the chance is right you ruin it."

But he only has good wishes for the winner. His advice to them is to have a good long think about what to do with the money first.

"I hope they put it to their mind first before blowing it."

Had Nui won, he would have bought an island for the homeless to live on and donated the rest to a leukaemia trust, in honour of his mother, who died of the disease.

Jason Morse has bought his ticket at the Dairy Flat store for three years, except for this week when he bought it in Pokeno on his way from a family funeral.

But he is not disappointed, he is happy for whoever has won.

Meanwhile, Central Otago man Karl Barkley has an innovative proposal for the Lotto winner: buying the historic Kingston Flyer Railway at Queenstown.

Disappointed that he didn't wake up $44 million richer, he's suggested the winner buy the Flyer so a charitable trust can be set up.

"The trust would then get the money required to restore the two Ab class steam locomotive and seven historic wooden carriages and once we got it running again and making a profit then we could give the winners back their kind donation if need be, so they could put it into another worthy cause."

Last night 14 first division winners bagged $66,667.00. Three were from Auckland City, and one each from Mt Wellington, Pt England, Canterbury, Wairoa, Napier, Orakei, Mangere, St Heliers, Masterton, Christchurch and Te Awamutu.

The winning numbers for last night's record-breaking $44 million Lotto Powerball draw were 3, 21, 22, 1, 30, 29 and the bonus number was 5.

The winning powerball number was 6.