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Passionate and clinical, Waimarama Taumaunu's side proved the loss of inspirational captain Casey Kopua and shooting ace Maria Tutaia isn't necessarily the end-all for New Zealand as they charged into the final quarter with all the momentum.
In a much improved performance, rookie Temalisi Fakahokotau starred on debut while Bailey Mes made a strong statement taking over from Catherine Latu in the shooting circle for her first Test start.
Playing for the injured Kopua, and trying to avoid a 4-0 whitewash, New Zealand took a third-minute lead that they never looked like surrendering. That was until fatigue and composure began to diminish in the dying minutes.
Australian coach Lisa Alexander, realising the likelihood of a major upset, rolled out her big guns in the third quarter, Caitlin Bassett sealing the win while Natalie Medhurst shot a perfect 10 from 10 in her relatively short outing.
Having suffered their 10th straight defeat against Australia, Taumaunu and the Ferns face a testing 10 months before next year's World Cup.
Shooting figures:
New Zealand
Bailey Mes 22/33
Jodi Brown 25/31
Australia
Caitlin Thwaites 15/16
Tegan Caldwell 6/9
Caitlin Bassett 20/22
Natalie Medhurst 10/10
FULLTIME NZ 47-51 AUS
58mins - NZ 47-50 AUS
Medhurst hasn't missed a shot since coming on.
57mins - NZ 47-48 AUS
Brown keeps NZ in the hunt.
56mins - NZ 46-47 AUS
Australia back in front. Momentum firmly with them now.
55mins - NZ 46-45 AUS
Was all tied up but Jodi Brown came through with a long-range shot.
53mins - NZ 44-41 AUS
Mes steps up again, but can't forget about those defenders.
51mins - NZ 41-39 AUS
Bailey Mes has made a strong statement tonight.
47mins - NZ 39-38 AUS
Three unanswered goals for Australia. The visitors have looked lethal since the restart.
End of quarter 3 - NZ 38-34 AUS
43mins - NZ 35-32 AUS
New Zealand being made to work hard to maintain this lead but Bailey Mes has been solid in the shooting circle. Fakahokotau just made her fifth deflection.
40mins - NZ 31-28 AUS
Biggest lead of the match so far.
37mins - NZ 29-26 AUS
Australia's passing accuracy looks to have deserted them.
34mins - NZ 25-23 AUS
Australian coach Lisa Alexander says bringing on Bassett, Medhurst and Ravalion is about helping them find their rhythm.
32mins - NZ 24-22 AUS
Wouldn't say the Diamonds are rattled but certainly have been taken by surprise here.
End of quarter 2 - NZ 22-21 AUS
27mins - NZ 20-19 AUS
New Zealand's Laura Langman has been huge so far, a couple of brilliant intercepts that have sparked a huge roar from the crowd.
23mins - NZ 14-16 AUS
The accuracy and availability in the shooting circle has definitely improved from the first Tests but Australia still have a slight edge.
17mins - NZ 12-13 AUS
New Zealand's defence has really stepped it up a notch.
End of quarter 1 - NZ 11-12 AUS
8mins - NZ 9-10 AUS
New Zealand's have made an energetic start to this one. Australia still look to have an edge when it comes to the shooting circle.
5mins - NZ 5-3 AUS
New Zealand are in front for the first time in the series.
1min - NZ 0-0 AUS
And they're off.
The match began at 7:40pm (NZT).
Pre match
The Silver Ferns will look to make things simple as they try to avoid a Constellation Cup netball whitewash against Australia.
New Zealand trail 3-0 heading into the final Test at Auckland's Trusts Stadium tomorrow night and feeding their shooters has been an issue over the past week.
"I thought defensively we got a lot of ball," coach Waimarama Taumaunu said.
"But we're just trying for a little bit more simplicity, fewer in and outs, available in shooting position - pretty simple stuff - but a bit more clarity on the feeds."
The Silver Ferns' practice session today included a game of three 10-minute periods against opponents that included former star Test mid-courter Temepara Bailey.
Watching on was ex-Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering, whom Taumaunu had called in.
"We did a little bit of work on our backline throw-in defence," Taumaunu said.
"It's always good to have a fresh voice."
Taumaunu mixed up her combinations in the hit-out.
With skipper Casey Kopua out with a serous knee injury, her replacement in the squad, Kayla Cullen, and the uncapped Temalisi Fakahokotau were paired in the defensive circle for a spell.
Taumaunu said it was possible the 20-year-old Fakahokotau could get game time.
She said the plan at the moment wasn't to use Cullen, but she would be comfortable about putting her on court, particularly at wing defence.
Cullen, who has 12 caps, is coming back from her own serious knee injury suffered last year and sat out this season's trans-Tasman league.
Taumaunu said the players had got over the shock of seeing what happened to Kopua on court in Sydney last Saturday night.
"It was pretty awful at the time, but we've moved on from that," she said.
Taumaunu also said Kopua, who was scheduled for surgery today and faces at least six months on the sidelines, was bearing up well.
"She's fine, she's done this before, she's had injuries and surgery - this is just another one to add to the list," she said.
"From what I understand, it's probably as good as we could have hoped for given the seriousness of it."
New Zealand
Bailey Mes 22/33
Jodi Brown 25/31
Australia
Caitlin Thwaites 15/16
Tegan Caldwell 6/9
Caitlin Bassett 20/22
Natalie Medhurst 10/10
FULLTIME NZ 47-51 AUS
58mins - NZ 47-50 AUS
Medhurst hasn't missed a shot since coming on.
57mins - NZ 47-48 AUS
Brown keeps NZ in the hunt.
56mins - NZ 46-47 AUS
Australia back in front. Momentum firmly with them now.
55mins - NZ 46-45 AUS
Was all tied up but Jodi Brown came through with a long-range shot.
53mins - NZ 44-41 AUS
Mes steps up again, but can't forget about those defenders.
51mins - NZ 41-39 AUS
Bailey Mes has made a strong statement tonight.
47mins - NZ 39-38 AUS
Three unanswered goals for Australia. The visitors have looked lethal since the restart.
End of quarter 3 - NZ 38-34 AUS
43mins - NZ 35-32 AUS
New Zealand being made to work hard to maintain this lead but Bailey Mes has been solid in the shooting circle. Fakahokotau just made her fifth deflection.
40mins - NZ 31-28 AUS
Biggest lead of the match so far.
37mins - NZ 29-26 AUS
Australia's passing accuracy looks to have deserted them.
34mins - NZ 25-23 AUS
Australian coach Lisa Alexander says bringing on Bassett, Medhurst and Ravalion is about helping them find their rhythm.
32mins - NZ 24-22 AUS
Wouldn't say the Diamonds are rattled but certainly have been taken by surprise here.
End of quarter 2 - NZ 22-21 AUS
27mins - NZ 20-19 AUS
New Zealand's Laura Langman has been huge so far, a couple of brilliant intercepts that have sparked a huge roar from the crowd.
23mins - NZ 14-16 AUS
The accuracy and availability in the shooting circle has definitely improved from the first Tests but Australia still have a slight edge.
17mins - NZ 12-13 AUS
New Zealand's defence has really stepped it up a notch.
End of quarter 1 - NZ 11-12 AUS
8mins - NZ 9-10 AUS
New Zealand's have made an energetic start to this one. Australia still look to have an edge when it comes to the shooting circle.
5mins - NZ 5-3 AUS
New Zealand are in front for the first time in the series.
1min - NZ 0-0 AUS
And they're off.
The match began at 7:40pm (NZT).
Pre match
The Silver Ferns will look to make things simple as they try to avoid a Constellation Cup netball whitewash against Australia.
New Zealand trail 3-0 heading into the final Test at Auckland's Trusts Stadium tomorrow night and feeding their shooters has been an issue over the past week.
"I thought defensively we got a lot of ball," coach Waimarama Taumaunu said.
"But we're just trying for a little bit more simplicity, fewer in and outs, available in shooting position - pretty simple stuff - but a bit more clarity on the feeds."
The Silver Ferns' practice session today included a game of three 10-minute periods against opponents that included former star Test mid-courter Temepara Bailey.
Watching on was ex-Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering, whom Taumaunu had called in.
"We did a little bit of work on our backline throw-in defence," Taumaunu said.
"It's always good to have a fresh voice."
Taumaunu mixed up her combinations in the hit-out.
With skipper Casey Kopua out with a serous knee injury, her replacement in the squad, Kayla Cullen, and the uncapped Temalisi Fakahokotau were paired in the defensive circle for a spell.
Taumaunu said it was possible the 20-year-old Fakahokotau could get game time.
She said the plan at the moment wasn't to use Cullen, but she would be comfortable about putting her on court, particularly at wing defence.
Cullen, who has 12 caps, is coming back from her own serious knee injury suffered last year and sat out this season's trans-Tasman league.
Taumaunu said the players had got over the shock of seeing what happened to Kopua on court in Sydney last Saturday night.
"It was pretty awful at the time, but we've moved on from that," she said.
Taumaunu also said Kopua, who was scheduled for surgery today and faces at least six months on the sidelines, was bearing up well.
"She's fine, she's done this before, she's had injuries and surgery - this is just another one to add to the list," she said.
"From what I understand, it's probably as good as we could have hoped for given the seriousness of it."
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