Australia largely weathered an awkward final hour's batting to start in the box seat when the second day of cricket's pink ball test debut resumes at Adelaide Oval tomorrow.
Having lost the toss, Australia will start at 54 for two, with captain Steve Smith on 24 and Adam Voges on nine.
Swing bowler Trent Boult dismissed in-form David Warner for one, while Doug Bracewell had fellow opener Joe Burns playing on for 14.
However Smith, who survived an lbw referral, and worked hard to put up a defensive wall, looked to have got through a torrid period of swing bowling by stumps.
Earlier New Zealand had been dismissed for an ordinary 202 shortly after the evening dinner break.
The damage to the innings had been done in the middle session when three key wickets were whisked away in the space of 11 balls - opener Tom Latham for a tidy 50, Ross Taylor to an inside edge on 21 and captain Brendon McCullum to an awful slash for four.
There was some resistance from debutant Mitchell Santner, who made 31 with seven fours, and wicketkeeper BJ Watling, with 29.
But the end came quickly after the dinner interval, with three wickets apiece to Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, and two each for veteran Peter Siddle to get him to 200 test wickets, and offspinner Nathan Lyon.
New Zealand need to win the series to square the series.
