The English chose to bat first when captain Charlotte Edwards won the toss but never really got going, and were restricted to 217 for nine from 50 overs, thanks to a tidy 10 over spell of three for 35 from legspinner Erin Bermingham.
Her three wickets were vital, as she first took care of opener and skipper Charlotte Edwards for 40, before dismissing fellow opener and top scorer Heather Knight for 79. She also had No 5 Amy Jones caught for four.
Amy Satterthwaite chipped in with three for 37 off 7 overs, while Suzie Bates took one for 38.
The White Ferns got off to a rollicking start in reply, mainly through Bates who scored 39 off 43 before falling to a Natalie Sciver catch off the bowling of Anya Shrubsole.
Runs dried up in the next 10 overs after Bates departed, as Rachel Priest and Sattherwaite put on just 21 runs, but the pair slowly increased the run rate to reach the target with eight balls to spare.
Satterthwaite hit the winning runs to finish on 76 not out, while Priest was stranded four runs short of what would have been her maiden one day century, ending on 96 off 139 balls.
The two sides now move to the three match twenty20 leg of the tour, starting at Whangarei on Thursday, before reverting back to the final two one dayers at Bert Sutcliffe Oval on February 26-28.
