Taranaki Couple Claim ‘Absolutely Incredible’ $8.3 Million Prize

2025 is off to a great start for a Taranaki couple after winning an ‘absolutely incredible’ $8.3 million with Powerball last Wednesday.

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, have been playing the same set of special numbers for almost 20 years.

“We picked the numbers together a long time ago and have been playing them ever since,” said the woman.

On Thursday, the woman was about to clean her car, when she heard on the radio that a MyLotto player from Taranaki had won.

“I was on my way out the door when I heard the news and said to my husband, ‘I’d just better check the ticket because otherwise I’d be thinking ‘it could be me, it could be me,’’” she laughed.

The woman grabbed her iPad, logged in to MyLotto and sat at the table to watch the virtual draw.

“I watched all the numbers come up one after the other – I was just speechless – and then when I saw the amount, it was absolutely incredible.

“There were a few tears that’s for sure. We kept looking at the ticket to check it was real – it was unbelievable.”

The couple spent the rest of the day talking about what they’d like to do with their win and say life will not change significantly.

“We’re not going to make any immediate big decisions but one thing we did decide on straight away is how we’re going to help our family.

“We’re excited to get together and tell them the good news, when the time is right,” said the woman.

Notes for editors:

• The winning $8.3 million Powerball First Division ticket was sold on MyLotto for the draw on Wednesday 22 January.
• The $8.3 million Powerball prize is made up of $8 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division.
• The winner would like to remain anonymous and does not wish to provide any further comment at this stage.
• This is the second Powerball First Division winner of 2025.
• In 2024 there were 23 Powerball winners across the motu.

Powerball wins in 2025

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