“When I saw all my numbers line up, I realised I’d won $12 million,” the woman said.
Her husband did not believe that they had struck it big until he had examined the ticket for himself.
The couple spent the new year processing the news, dreaming up all the things their earnings could buy.
“It wasn’t until we got the call from Lotto NZ that the reality started to sink in,” the woman said.
“We’re still thinking about what we’d like to do with the money, but we’re pretty sensible people.”
“Sensible, mundane stuff” topped their wishlist, the woman said, such as investing in a home for the future.
“It’s amazing to know we have so many options now,” she said.
“We can’t wait to support our family and spend time on the things that really matter.”
The big wins of the year
The pair became the ninetieth and last people of the year to win the Lotto Powerball first division, joining the list of several other new Kiwi millionaires.
Other mammoth wins from throughout the year include $37.125m won in Paraparaumu, $33.5m won in Christchurch, $24.25m struck in Lower Hutt and $23.5m won in Auckland.
The Paraparaumu winner claimed her $37m jackpot in August and spoke to the Herald after her win saying she had only gone to the supermarket to buy a chocolate bar and picked up her lucky Lotto ticket on a whim.
The Christchurch couple who won the $33.5m - one of the largest Lotto draws in recent history - kept their ticket hidden in the sock drawer for days while they worked out what they would do with their winnings.
The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the win and needed time to process it before coming forward.
The woman said her husband had already gone to bed and she had to wake him up to confirm the prize.
“My husband had already gone to bed so I woke him up and said, ‘Can you please check this for me? These numbers are dancing on the paper. Is it actually real?’”
