A lucky Lotto player from the Waikato region will be starting 2026 on a high after winning $1 million in the first draw of the new year.
The winning Lotto First Division ticket was bought on MyLotto, with the numbers drawn being 1, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 26.
The bonus ball was 9 and the Powerball was 4.
Powerball was not struck on Saturday night and will roll over to Wednesday, when the jackpot climbs to $6 million.
Strike Four has also rolled over and will be worth $400,000.
The draw also included Lotto NZ’s Christmas promotion, which saw another Kiwi become a millionaire after a winning ticket was sold at Pak’nSave Tauriko in Tauranga.
A further 100 players each won $50,000 through the promotion, with all winners encouraged to check their tickets on MyLotto or through the MyLotto app.
A Feilding Lotto player won $700,000 in Strike Four during the Lotto draw on New Year’s Eve.
Fifty-one players became millionaires in 2025 – a year with a huge must-win jackpot, as well as Lotto’s second-largest financial year return ever.
Lotto NZ chief executive Jason Delamore said the highlight of the year came in November with the record-breaking $55 million win, shared between three players.