A mother from Hawke's Bay is one of New Zealand's newest multi-millionaires, coming forward as one of the two people who won the $50 million Powerball draw on Saturday.
She bought the ticket from Countdown, Manukau City Mall, coming away with $25.1 million after the split win.
In a statement released by Lotto today, she said she wanted to stay anonymous but admitted several sleepless nights waiting for Lotto NZ's head office to officially confirm her win.
The February 26 draw is one of the biggest Powerball jackpots ever.
"I've been keeping my ticket in my phone case and under my pillow at night – not that much sleeping has been happening. I've mostly been scouring the internet for my dream car," she jokes.
The woman says she was visiting Auckland when she bought the ticket and even after seeing one of the winning tickets was sold in the same place, didn't imagine it would be hers.
What happens if no one gets the six numbers and the Powerball?
She says she plans to buy a house - "the first thing on my list" - and a new car.
"There’ll be some travel in the future as well as some other fun stuff, but for now my priority is making sure I have a good plan in place for me and my family."
The other winning $25.1 million ticket was sold on the digital MyLotto platform, also from Auckland. That winner has yet to claim the prize.
You’ve got more chance of achieving sainthood than hitting the jackpot.
The must-be-won draw was the biggest in New Zealand's history.
The winning numbers were 4, 18, 27, 25, 32, 28, with a bonus ball of 37 and the Powerball was 3.
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