An Ashburton family is preparing to buy their first home after winning $28.6 million in last week’s Powerball draw, the 11th largest prize in Lotto NZ history.

The family, who wish to remain anonymous, are regular players who have used the same numbers for years.

They play a mix of similar numbers across just five lines on a $7.50 Powerball pick your own ticket.

Last Wednesday’s draw landed them the Powerball First Division prize of $28 million, along with three Lotto First Division wins worth $200,000 each across three different lines.

The family had no idea they had won until the following day.

“It was the talk of the town,” the woman said.

“Everyone was asking each other if they were the winner and talking about what they’d do if they won.

“I never thought it would be us, but I couldn’t shake this strange feeling for most of the day.”

The woman said her daughter messaged that afternoon asking whether she had checked her ticket.

“She asked me if I knew someone in town had won, and if I’d checked our ticket. I said, ‘no, it’s at home, I’ll check it later.’

“We checked the numbers, and sure enough, they were ours.

“It was such a mix of emotions all at once. My husband cried and none of us knew what to do with ourselves.”

The family claimed the prize on Friday and spent the weekend talking about what it meant for them.

“We’re still very much in shock and overwhelmed with the prize. We’re so incredibly grateful for what this is going to do for us, our family and future,” the woman’s daughter said.

The daughter said the family was taking things slowly, with one decision already made.

“There is so much to think about. We want to enjoy our lives and help others, but it all needs a lot of thought.

“The only thing we know for certain right now is that we will be able to buy our first home. It’s something we’ve always talked about, and now it’s possible.”

Lotto NZ said the winning ticket was sold at Four Square Netherby in Ashburton for the draw on Wednesday 3 June.

It is the largest prize ever won in Ashburton.

Lotto NZ said the previous Powerball prize won in the town was $5.3 million on MyLotto in July 2021.

The win is also the largest on a single ticket since October 2024, when a North Shore family won $30.2 million.