Family claims $7.3m Lotto prize

The winning ticket that made a New Plymouth family instant multimillionaires was a last-minute purchase during a routine stop at the shop for milk.

The lucky ticket, sold at The Store in Westown, New Plymouth, won its holders, who wish to remain anonymous, the $7m Powerball first division, along with $333,333 in the Lotto first division pool after the May 27 draw.

In a press statement released by Lotto New Zealand yesterday, the winner said she had only popped into the shop to buy milk and decided to get a Lotto ticket too.

‘‘Mum and I normally alternate buying tickets each Wednesday – it was her turn to buy it that week, but for some reason, I just bought another while I was there,’’ she said.

The family did not watch the draw on Wednesday but saw the news the following day that there had been a Powerball winner in New Plymouth.

The woman’s mother told her to check her ticket, which she did later the same day. After checking her Strike ticket first (and winning $73), the Powerball ticket was then processed by a Lotto operator in the city.

‘‘I was just standing there, staring in disbelief at him and the ticket, I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was just going through the motions when I was filling in the prize claim form, maybe I was in a bit of shock. It has all been pretty surreal,’’ she said.

After claiming the prize, the woman went straight home and told her mother, who was just as shocked by the fortuitous news.

Next on the list was to inform the woman’s partner and father.

Both were at work so the woman texted the pair and told them to come home straight away.

‘‘I didn’t want them to think that anything was wrong, so I told them not to worry, everyone was OK, but that we had some news to share. We couldn’t wait to tell them,’’ she said.

Like her mother, they asked to see the paperwork as they thought the woman was ‘‘pulling their leg’’. But as soon as they saw the official documentation, they broke out in smiles.

‘‘It turned into a really special night with our family.’’

Some winnings will be used to build the family’s dream home. A shopping trip in Melbourne, a new car and family trips, including one exploring New Zealand, were also on the wishlist.

‘‘We are down-to-earth Kiwis, and we’ve worked hard for everything we have. This win won’t change us, it just gives us the financial security to support our family and enables us to help others.’’

‘‘I couldn’t believe what was happening.’’

New Plymouth Lotto winner