North Island couple celebrate $23m Lotto win with fish and chips on beach

A lucky Lotto winner won $23m in a Powerball draw last week.

• A North Island couple have won $23 million in Lotto Powerball.
• The total prize was $23,333,333, including $333,333 from a split First Division prize.
• The winning ticket was purchased in Auckland.

A couple who won $23 million in a Lotto Powerball draw celebrated their newfound wealth with a simple meal of fish and chips on the beach.

The couple from the upper North Island, who bought the winning ticket online, bagged the megarich prize from last week’s midweek draw.

They said seeing ‘$23,333,333’ on their MyLotto ticket was “mind-boggling”.

“We’re both shocked to our core. It’s going to take a while to sink in, and I don’t think it will start to feel real until we see it in the bank,” said the winners, who wished to remain anonymous.

After checking the winning ticket, the man went to tell his wife the good news.

“She could see I was tearful and asked what was wrong. I just blurted it out – ‘we’ve won 23.3 million dollars!’

“We’re always joking with each other, so of course she didn’t believe me … until I showed her the ticket on MyLotto.”

They celebrated with fish and chips on the beach and chatted about their family’s future.

“We live a simple life and will continue to – but what we can now do for our children, and our grandchildren – that’s what’s life-changing.”

The couple are the eighth Powerball multi-millionaires this year and their win comes after $5.3m was won by an Otago player last month.

All up the pair won $23,333,333 – made up of $23m from Powerball and $333,333 from a split first division prize on April 23.

The win was the largest Powerball prize won since December 2024 when a man from New Plymouth won $23.3 million.

Powerball wins in 2025

 In 2025, there have been major powerball wins across the country.

In January, a Wellington Lotto player won $7m, with a Taranaki player also snagging $8.3m in the same month.

A Hamilton player and Waihī player both picked up $10.5m from Powerball wins in February.

There were three lucky Powerball multi-millionaires in March with wins in Christchurch, Dunedin and Port Chalmers.