$40m Powerball jackpot split as two Lotto players pocket $20.1m each

Two Powerball players have become overnight multimillionaires after sharing Saturday night's $40 million jackpot, taking home $20.1 million each.

Each prize is made up of $20 million from Powerball First Division and $111,111 from Lotto First Division.

The winning numbers were 1, 12, 14, 18, 22 and 29. The Bonus Ball was 32 and the Powerball was 8.

Seven other Lotto players each won $111,111 with Lotto First Division, while five Strike Four players collected $40,000 each.

A further 29 Lotto Second Division winners will each receive $19,686.

The jackpot had climbed to $40m after going unclaimed on Wednesday night, making it the biggest Lotto prize on offer so far this year. It also edged closer to the country's biggest-ever individual Lotto win — the $44.06m claimed by an Auckland ticket-holder a decade ago.

Ticket sales for the eye-watering prize were projected to hit 1.2 million.

However, players will have to wait until 11am tomorrow for information about the winning tickets.

Lotto NZ head of corporate communications Will Hine said the change was in response to player feedback, and replicates an approach which was used during past Powerball Must Be Won draws.

"Players have told us they value having time to check their tickets themselves before seeing where winning tickets were sold," Hine said.

"This change gives players a wider window to see if they’re a big winner, while ensuring all key prize information continues to be available on draw night.

"Part of the excitement of playing Lotto is checking your own numbers and we want our players to have the chance to enjoy that experience. In a world where everything is getting faster and information is always at our fingertips, we’re taking the opportunity to slow things down a bit for the benefit of our players."