The small team that keeps thousands of Lotto winners' secrets

Lotto producers have been keeping the secrets of winners for 35 years. Photo / File

We've often wished it was us when reading the stories about the many instant millionaires who have struck it big in Lotto. Most winners choose to keep their win and their identity a secret – for obvious reasons.

It's a small team from Lotto New Zealand, which has dealt with the 1000 instant millionaires produced by Lotto in its 35-year-old history, that helps winners claim their prize and offers advice and a promise to keep their secret.

"Part of our job is making sure the long-term outcomes for winners are good. And that's massively fulfilling," Lotto NZ corporate communications head Lucy Fullarton said on Te Ao Tapatahi.

"The joy that people feel when they come into the office to claim their prizes is really catchy. It's a great way to start the week."

Fullarton and her team deal with all of the big winners including the woman who this week discovered an eight-month-old $1 million winning Lotto ticket in her glove box while cleaning her car.

"Most people are pretty overwhelmed when it's a big Powerball prize, so we try and engage as early as possible. The first step is claiming their prize. The word most commonly used with winners is 'surreal'."

'Life-changing'

"It takes a wee while to process, the massive change they are going through. It's life-changing but it does throw people off a little. The biggest thing is that we are there and we are the only people that they will speak to about their winnings, who have no personal interest in it."

The team guides winners to pathways of seeking financial advice and makes an obligation to the winners to keep their identity a secret.

There are no statistics about how many Māori have struck it big but Fullarton says that, anecdotally, she's seen and dealt with many Māori who have called to claim their prize.

"We give out only generic descriptions, like 'an Auckland man' or a 'Temuka woman'. They want to stay anonymous so we want to keep all of their personal details private. We walk with them to craft a story about the feeling of winning but don't talk about the individuals involved."

The largest Lotto win in New Zealand was in 2016 when a couple from the Hibiscus Coast won $44 million.

"Kiwis are so grounded. They've found that they've won all this money and they are super excited. But the first thing that they jump to is: What does this mean for their whānau and their community."