$50m Lotto Powerball jackpot: Auckland couple split $5m winnings with family

Thursday, 20 August 2020

A West Auckland couple who won $5 million in Saturday’s $50m Lotto draw have given half of their savings away.

The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, said they made a pact with two other family members years ago to share any potential wins.

“So there was no question in our mind when we found out we’d won we would split the prize.”

The couple, who are in their 40s with children, knew they had won Second Division Powerball on Saturday night, but the shock and excitement kicked in the next morning when they found out the $50m prize had rolled down and there were 10 winners.

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Six of the winning tickets were sold in Auckland; the other four were from Tauranga, Napier, Palmerston North and Invercargill.

To celebrate, the woman said she made a “millionaires’ breakfast”.

“Our family came over, and we had bacon, eggs, hash browns and mushrooms – it was the best Sunday breakfast ever!” she said.

The family then headed to Lincoln Heights Superette, where they purchased the ticket, to confirm the win and claim their prize.

“I nearly passed out when they told us it was $5m,” the man said. “I had to sit down; I was struggling to talk. It was an overwhelming experience – it’s hard to explain.”

The money would mean the couple could fulfil their dream of buying their first home.

“We can have a home that’s truly ours, and that is something we never thought would be possible. We’ve been trying to buy our own home for years but haven’t been able to do it. This is a dream come true,” the woman said.

The first thing they would do in their home would be to throw a big family barbecue, she said.

Her husband said he could already imagine himself sitting in his own home in front of a fireplace drinking a glass of port.

He said he was most excited about the fact they would be able to get two puppies, as they had always wanted dogs.

The couple also hoped they would be able to have a belated honeymoon.

“We got married a few years ago but couldn’t afford to go on a honeymoon at the time – so when we can, we really want to travel overseas. The UK is on our bucket list as we’ve always wanted to visit Scotland and Ireland,” said the man.

Lotto New Zealand head of communications Marie Winfield said there had never been so many winners in a “must be won” draw before.

“We are absolutely thrilled for all of them.”