Southland woman wakes $6.3m richer after Lotto Powerball win

The pair are thrilled with the win. Photo/Michael Bradley

A Southland woman awoke to a $6.3 million Lotto jackpot, courtesy of her husband shoving his phone in her face to share the good news.

The couple is still reeling after winning Powerball First Division last Wednesday.

“It doesn’t feel real. We’ve been on such a high,” the man said.

He said he didn’t bother checking the numbers until 11pm after the cricket had finished – and it wasn’t until midnight that he woke his wife to share the unbelievable news.

“She was sleeping, and I just held my phone up to her face and said, ‘You need to look at this.’ She was like, ‘Are you serious?’ We haven’t had much sleep since,” the man said.

The pair are thrilled with their lifestyle change, saying they can’t wait to set up future generations.

“It’s great that money isn’t an issue now and we can just enjoy things. But mainly, we want to take care of our family and make sure our children and future generations have a comfortable life.”

The man said his boss was “great” about the win, joking that he probably wouldn’t see him next year.

“It’s pretty surreal when stuff like this happens to everyday Kiwis.”

This couple are the nineteenth Powerball First Division winners of 2022, and the prize was made up of $6 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division.