The lottery is one of the most popular forms of entertainment/gambling in New Zealand. Statistics show that around 80% of the population gambles frequently and a vast majority of them purchase lotto tickets one way or another. Additionally, research shows that Kiwi players spend around NZ$1.5 billion annually on this activity.
When playing the lotto, every outcome is random. After all, this is a game of chance. However, some numbers are more frequently drawn than others. Knowing them can help you as you can take them into consideration when scratching your numbers on your next ticket.
Most Frequent Lotto Numbers in New Zealand
What numbers come up most in NZ lotto? According to research, the most common lotto numbers in NZ are 1, 12, 19, 13, 22, 15, 23, 25, 38 and 35. Each of them has dropped hundreds of times. Percentage-wise, their drop rate looks something like what we’ve shown in the table below.
| Number | Times Drawn | Percentage |
| 1 | 391 | 16.37% |
| 12 | 384 | 16.07% |
| 19 | 383 | 16.03% |
| 13 | 383 | 16.03% |
| 22 | 382 | 15.99% |
| 15 | 378 | 15.82% |
| 23 | 376 | 15.74% |
| 25 | 371 | 15.53% |
| 38 | 368 | 15.40% |
| 35 | 368 | 15.40% |
As you can see from the table, some winning lotto numbers like 1 and 12 drop over 16% of the time. That means that every 6th number that gets drawn during a lottery game is either one of these two. On the flip hand, lotto statistics show that the least drawn numbers are the following.
| Number | Times Drawn | Percentage |
| 14 | 334 | 13.98% |
| 37 | 340 | 14.23% |
| 9 | 340 | 14.23% |
| 28 | 342 | 14.32% |
| 6 | 342 | 14.32% |
| 36 | 343 | 14.36% |
| 34 | 343 | 14.36% |
| 16 | 345 | 14.44% |
| 11 | 345 | 14.44% |
| 3 | 346 | 14.48% |
Since Powerball is one of the most popular lotteries in New Zealand, we ought to share statistics on the most drawn lotto numbers here. The most common numbers are:
- 19 (drawn 196 times)
- 23 (drawn 190 times)
- 15 (drawn 189 times)
- 17 (Drawn 186 times)
- 10 and 24 (drawn 180 times)
As for pairs, the most common two numbers are 15 and 22 (37 times), 17 and 19 (36 times), 6 and 25 (34 times), 10 and 24 (34 times), 15 and 29 (33 times) and 19 and 28 (33 times).
Now, back to the general topic of this article – the most frequent lotto numbers in New Zealand. When comparing the numbers with other lotteries in the world, here are the most common picks.
| Lottery name | Most common picks (most frequent to less frequent) |
| Euromillions | 50, 44, 23, 19, 4 |
| Megamillions | 17, 31, 2, 39, 4, 20 |
| Irish Lotto | 2, 32, 9, 7, 10, 18 |
Implementing These Numbers in Your Strategy
Now that you know which numbers Kiwi players consider the luckiest lotto numbers, you may ask yourself what’s the point of knowing them. Well, they can be a fantastic asset when implementing a certain strategy.
Here’s what’s extremely important to know, though. Lottery games have random outcomes. Even though you can use popular lotto numbers and cross them, nobody guarantees that they will pop up. The only thing that a strategy can do is increase your chances of winning, nothing more.
One of the best pieces of advice that we can give you is to mix the most common bonus ball number patterns with your own lucky numbers.
Real-Life Stories About Lotto Winnings in New Zealand
One family from Hastings won NZ$1 million in July 2024. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said that they’re regular players who use family numbers. One draw led to a NZ$24 reward and a Bonus Ticket. The Bonus Ticket is what brought them the jackpot.
A month earlier, in June 2024, a couple from Hawke’s Bay were among the seven winners in the NZ$50 million draw in Lotto NZ. They were out shopping and the woman asked her boyfriend if they could stop to purchase a ticket. They used their lucky numbers and the next day, they checked through the MyLotto app.
At first, they thought that they’d won NZ$71,000. However, that number turned out to be NZ$7.1 million.
There’s also a story about a Hamilton woman who picked up her Powerball ticket and decided to play a game of Crossword Cash Bonus with NZ$2. Little did she know that the game was a winning one and managed to win NZ$20,000. According to her, she was so shocked that she ran to her sister’s room to check if she “wasn’t seeing things.”
What are the 6 Luckiest Lotto Numbers in NZ?
To close things off, we’re referring back to the table to see which are the best lotto numbers in terms of winning probability. The six best numbers are 1, 12, 19, 13, 22 and 15. Remember this, though. They are lucky lotto numbers, but only as singular numbers.
If you pick them in your six-number card, there’s no guarantee that they’ll provide you with a win.