'Life-changing' $18m Lotto Oamaru win: Mayor's fingers crossed winner is local

One lucky ticket holder in Oamaru is $18.25 million richer after winning the Boxing Day Powerball jackpot. Photo / File

Fingers are crossed in a South Island town that the winner of the mega $18 million Lotto jackpot on Saturday is a local resident.

Someone is $18.25 million richer after they bought their ticket at New World Waitaki in Oamaru.

The winnings consist of $18 million for Powerball and another $250,000 - a quarter share of the $1 million First Division prize which was split between four players.

Waitaki mayor Gary Kircher said a boost of that proportion to the local economy is "always welcome".

"It may've been someone who was just passing through and stopped into that particular New World. We certainly hope it's a local."

"It is very significant and it'd be an understatement to say it's life-changing," he said.

He said he hopes the winner gets to "really enjoy" their winnings - rather than be burdened by it.

"Inevitably they'll have plenty of people offering them opportunities to spend it."

"The Waitaki district relies heavily on volunteers and philanthropy and if [that's] something the winner chooses to do then there are all sorts of groups and projects that they'll be able to help out."

"But first and foremost, we hope they do make good use of it and really get to enjoy it."

Other winners of the weekend's Lotto draw included three other tickets that didn't have the correct Powerball number, worth $250,000 each - their share of Division One.

They were bought from Four Square Matarangi in Whitianga, on MyLotto by a player from Tauranga, and at Countdown Church Street in Timaru.

Lotto's Triple Dip Christmas promotion with more than 300 extra prizes was also drawn on Saturday night, including one prize of $1 million cash, five Jaguar cars and 300 prizes of $5,000 cash.

A lucky player from Auckland won the top promotion prize of $1 million. The winning voucher was sold at Mountain Road Pricecutter in Auckland.

Kircher wasn't sure if the big-ticket from Oamaru had been claimed yet.

Mystery surrounded a $17 million Lotto win earlier in the year, where Lotto was prepping to deploy a private investigator after it couldn't track down the winner.

The winner eventually came forward after three weeks of national intrigue.

At the time, the new millionaire said they deliberately waited several days to claim their money.

"I wasn't in a rush to claim the prize – and I needed some time to process things. It's all been very surreal."