Kawerau’s $18.3 million Lotto winner has claimed their prize, but their identity remains a mystery.

Saturday’s record-breaking $55 million draw was won by three players, each taking home $18.3m.

The Kawerau ticket was sold at New World Kawerau’s relatively new Lotto kiosk and there has been much speculation about who might be the lucky punter.

Owner Clare Gallagher confirmed yesterday that the prize had been claimed with Lotto NZ directly.

She said she and her New World staff did not know who the person was.

The other two winning tickets were sold at Pak’n Save Moorhouse in Christchurch, and through the MyLotto app to an Auckland punter.

Fifteen other Lotto players also scooped substantial prizes, taking home $55,556 each from Lotto First Division. Sixty-two other punters also won $16,909 in Lotto Second Division.

Lotto NZ chief executive Jason Delamore described it as a “fantastic result” for the winners.

“It’s great to see the Powerball jackpot being shared among a number of players,” he said.

“A win like this doesn’t just change one life – it can transform families, friends, and even entire communities. Our winners often give back in incredible ways, from helping loved ones to supporting charities.”

Kawerau was recently revealed as the most Lotto-obsessed town in New Zealand, topping a nationwide ranking based on more than 20 years of Google search data.

The community score 302 out of a possible 500 in Casino.org New Zealand’s Lotto Obsession index – the only place in the country to break the 300-point barrier.

The analysis examined Google Trends data for five key Lotto-related search terms: “online lottery”, “lotto”, “MyLotto”, “Lotto results” and NZ Lotto”.