On Wednesday night their lives were changed forever, after winning $17.25 million with Powerball First Division.
But they guaranteed they would keep living and working as normal.
The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, said they were still shocked.
‘’It’s turned our world upside down!”
The woman said she bought the ticket on MyLotto early Wednesday morning.
“I logged in and checked my ticket, not thinking about it. But when I saw my numbers line up, followed by the words ‘Major Prize Winner,’ I immediately showed my husband."
The man thought he had been pranked.
“I kept asking her, ‘Is this a joke? You’re joking, right?”
After realising they were, in fact, New Zealand’s latest multi-millionaires, the couple sat like “stunned mullets” before bursting into laughter and tears.
“I’m surprised I didn’t have a heart attack!” the man said.
“We struggled to keep a straight face in front of our children. They kept asking what was going on. We were buzzing - you could feel it in the air.”
The couple said they could not sleep but after claiming the prize, now they were looking forward to the future.
The woman said the money would really help their family.
“After everything calms down a bit, we’d like to celebrate somewhere nice with the kids, but we plan to keep working and living life like normal.
“We honestly never thought this would happen. It’s amazing!”
