Yesterday's eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval was achieved with more than a day to spare and in a manner that deserves praise for its substantial qualities of skill and application from a foundation of players having confidence in their abilities.
They have ticked off five wins in the year, a record, and six successive test series either won or drawn will be clocked up at the Basin Reserve starting on Saturday, also new territory.
It's a far cry from a couple of years ago when the Brendon McCullum/Mike Hesson axis began in ignominy in South Africa.
''I'm really pleased with the overall effort. I thought we played a really good test," captain and man of the match Brendon McCullum said last night.
Yesterday's work was impressive.
When Sri Lanka started the day, they were 10 runs in arrears overall but there was the possibility of making life awkward for New Zealand in their second innings chase on a pitch which kept doing a bit for the seamers.
Instead Tim Southee ensured there would be no dramas with three early wickets, including the important one of captain Angelo Mathews.
Once some late, breezy defiance from last pair Shaminda Eranga and Surenga Lakmal was ended, senior batsmen Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor made their way to 105 in an unhurried, professional way.
Southee's four wickets gave him 33 at 26.02 for the calendar year. He was fractionally pipped by his new ball chum Trent Boult, who ended the year with 34 wickets at 28.58.
They shared 13 wickets in the match, merely carrying on the way they began the year, with 11 and 10 wickets respectively in the two tests against India back in February.
McCullum mentioned they are always wanting to bowl. So too the industrious third seamer Neil Wagner. There's no hiding.
Players are relishing their roles. Tired bodies gain an injection of fresh life. Winning tends to do that to sports people.
The skipper was lavish in his praise of New Zealand's newest test venue too. He loved the ground's design, which has spectators closer to the action, and the pitch's properties also impressed him.
''I thought it was brilliant. It certainly gets a pass mark.
''It's nice to play a test on a purpose-built cricket ground. Kane and Ross were saying there was still a bit in the pitch today. There was bounce throughout and once you get that, normally a result comes into play."
Sri Lankan captain Mathews was left to bemoan a poor first batting effort during which ''we kicked ourselves out of the game".
His bowlers failed to take advantages of winning the toss in favourable bowling conditions, but that said he doffed his cap to McCullum's blistering 195 which set up the test win.
''You can't do much when a guy walks in and gets almost a double hundred in a couple of sessions. It was one of the best innings I've seen. He was playing like a T20."
New Zealand are playing a positive brand of cricket too. That's intentional.
''We want to make sure we're playing aggressive cricket, trying to move the game forward, looking for results. You remember test wins, not draws.
''And we're trying to achieve special things along the way."
That box is repeatedly being ticked right now.
Issues to be worked on? The openers.
Not Tom Latham but Hamish Rutherford, who didn't take his chance on his return to the test side. Yesterday offered the perfect scenario for a confidence-bolstering innings. Instead he fended a short ball to gully at 10.
Otherwise the good ship New Zealand is sailing along nicely going into the New Year.
Corey Anderson replaces Dean Brownlie in the second test squad, but how he'll be fitted into the XI is another story.
Right now there's no room, given Jimmy Neesham's bracing return to form with the bat, plus a useful stint with the ball in this test.
Southee has stitches in the webbing of his left hand but McCullum quipped that that would not hamper him batting as the Basin as ''it's his top hand and Tim doesn't use his top hand so he should be okay".
- David Leggat of the New Zealand Herald
