logo
Lotto Powerball: Porirua's New World Whitby waits for $17.2m winner to claim prize

Lotto Powerball: Porirua's New World Whitby waits for $17.2m winner to claim prize

NZ Herald21-05-2025

Although the winning ticket had recently been bought there, Hallett didn't know who the lucky person was.
The store was now preparing for the Powerball winner to come forward and claim their fortune.
While prizes can be claimed at any Lotto retailer, Hallett said a Lotto representative will visit New World Whitby this morning to decorate the store with posters which will let shoppers know that the winning ticket was sold there.
Hallett said staff were looking forward to celebrating what would be a 'generational life-defining moment' for the winner.
Staff were putting provisions in place to make sure the Powerball winner could celebrate appropriately and privately if they choose to claim their ticket from the supermarket this morning.
The winning prize of $17.2m is made up of a $17m Powerball win and $200,000 from a five-way split of First Division.
Last night's strike has made the winning player the ninth Powerball multi-millionaire in 2025 so far.
The $1m First Division prize was shared with four other players, who are each taking home $200,000.
The winning First Division tickets were sold at Hobsonville Superette in Auckland, New World Broadway in Palmerston North, Ballance Street Bookshop in Gisborne and on MyLotto to a player from Auckland.
Other Powerball wins in 2025
New Zealand has had major Powerball wins across the country this year.
In January, a Wellington Lotto player won $7m, with a Taranaki player pocketing $8.3m in the same month.
A Hamilton player and Waihī player each picked up $10.5m from Powerball wins in February.
There were three lucky Powerball multi-millionaires in March, with wins in Christchurch, Dunedin and Port Chalmers.
What to do if you win
Ticket holders can see immediately if they have won if they bought a ticket through MyLotto. Prizes of $1000 or less are automatically credited to their account.
For prizes of more than $1000, winners have to fill in an online prize form.
Results are available immediately after the live draws on TVNZ 1 on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
They can also be found through the MyLotto app, online at www.mylotto.co.nz, at Lotto NZ retailers and on nzherald.co.nz.
Winners with a physical ticket must still visit a Lotto retailer to claim their prize.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lotto NZ Tracks Down $500,000 Winner Who Had Lost Ticket
Lotto NZ Tracks Down $500,000 Winner Who Had Lost Ticket

Scoop

time3 days ago

  • Scoop

Lotto NZ Tracks Down $500,000 Winner Who Had Lost Ticket

Press Release – Lotto New Zealand With prize claims only valid for 12 months and the clock ticking down, the Government-operated lottery looked for clues about how they could find their winner. A Lotto winner who lost their paper ticket and was unaware they had won big has received their $500,000 First Division prize after Lotto NZ sought help from the player's bank to track them down. The winning ticket was sold at Pak n Save Mt Albert in June last year but no winner came forward. With prize claims only valid for 12 months and the clock ticking down, the Government-operated lottery looked for clues about how they could find their winner. 'Our only real lead was that the ticket was paid for with an ASB card,' says Lotto NZ Head of Corporate Communications, Will Hine. 'We had electronic details of the transaction but no idea who the card actually belonged to, because that information isn't visible to retailers.' 'We knew ASB would be unable to give us their customer's details for privacy reasons, so instead asked them to pass on a confidential message to their customer that they might want to contact the Lotto NZ winner's team.' The bank helped out and the customer then got in touch with Lotto NZ. The winner, who wished to remain anonymous, says she had low expectations about receiving a prize. 'In the country I grew up in you would have to have a lottery ticket to claim a prize and I realised I must have lost my one. So I didn't think we'd get given the prize.' Because the ticket had been lost, Lotto NZ went through a very detailed process to determine the rightful winner, including examining the customer's purchasing history. It concluded that she had bought the winning ticket, and paid the $500,000 prize several weeks ahead of the prize's 12-month expiration date. The woman says she and her husband are planning to use some of the money to bring family members to Aotearoa for a holiday. 'We want to take them to see the snow this winter. We think we'll go to Queenstown and also Rotorua.' 'When I got the news about being paid out, I couldn't sleep,' the winner shared. 'This money means we can save for a better life for ourselves and our family. We're incredibly happy.' Hine says it was a fantastic result for the customer. 'We were absolutely delighted we were able to pay this customer her prize. She was quite emotional when we met up with her and her husband was over the moon as well. 'While any prize money that is unclaimed after 12 months goes back to our wider pool of money for future prize promotions, obviously we always prefer that it reaches the rightful winner where possible. 'If we get sufficient information that allows us to be sure we've found the correct winner, then a prize will be paid. 'We always recommend players write their name on the back of their ticket, in case it's lost and then found.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store