Two first-half goals had the Kookaburras on the front foot while the Black Sticks found it difficult to battle back against a hard-nosed defence.
Australia controlled the first half and opened the scoring
in the 13th minute when Chris Ciriello converted from a penalty corner.
Ten minutes later, the home side doubled its lead after a field goal from Kiel Brown, and it remained 2-0 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter Australia had success again from a penalty corner, this time Jeremy Hayward flicking into the back of goal.
New Zealand coach Colin Batch said it was a typically tough game against the world champion.
''It was a difficult game for us tonight and Australia were pretty dominant,'' Batch said.
''They showed the benefit of having already played two tests in the past few days and were on top of their game. Australia forced a lot of turnovers and limited our opportunities on attack.
''We need to work on our outletting and shifting the ball through the midfield, and make sure we are prepared to get a good result in our next game.''
Striker Jared Panchia travelled with the team to Hobart in place of Shay Neal, who was a last-minute withdrawal due to injury.
The Black Sticks had a day of training and planning yesterday ahead of their game against Pakistan tonight.
The International Challenge is important preparation for the World League semifinal in Argentina next month, where the Black Sticks have an opportunity to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
