New cap Lisa White led New Zealand's dramatic fightback on the final day of the transtasman test on Saturday.
Australia looked to have the test in its grasp when it led the biennial match 27-17 after two days at the Balclutha Memorial Hall.
But New Zealand fought back to win the final day 16-6 and draw the test 33-33. Australia retained the Henselite Trophy as the defending champion.
New Zealand staged the comeback in the morning session on Saturday by winning the women's singles and fours and the men's and mixed fours to trail by four points.
In the final session of six games, Australia won the two games it needed to draw the test and retain the trophy.
White (29), a Hutt Valley merchandiser, had lost her first singles game to Wollongong pastry cook Monika Korn 21-19.
The experienced Korn (50), who was playing in her ninth transtasman event and has 11 Australasian titles, played a dramatic last bowl to draw the second game 15-15.
White needed to win the third game by three points to win the Australasian title on count back.
She started strongly and appeared to have the title in her grasp when she led 24-17 after 23 of the 25 ends. Korn staged another come-from-behind rally to score a two and three and the last two ends.
White won 24-22 so the differential was even and it went to a countback on ends with White having scored on one more end than Korn 38-37 to win the Australasian women's singles title.
In the women's pairs, White combined with skip Fiona Wilson, of Tauranga, to beat Korn and Julie Zaporozec 19-3 to win her second Australasian title.
Australian captain Chris Dudman won the men's singles title against former Otago representative Grant l'Ami 14-20, 24-20, 23-22.
In the men's pairs, l'Ami and Ashley Diamond had the title in their pocket after winning the first two games 24-8 and 20-14. They remained unbeaten when they won the third game 19-16.
Diamond won his second title in the men's fours when the New Zealand team of Blair Spicer, John Zittersteijn, Diamond and Mike Phipps beat Australia's Tony Simpson, Arthur Finch, David Speechley and Terry Hogan 16-13 in the decider.
New Zealand's Simon Thomas, Grant Rayner, Julie Thomas and Gina Owen won the mixed fours with three wins against Ian Ogilvie, Rodney Wilson, Julie Zaporozec and Barbara Hill.
The Canterbury husband-and-wife six-bowl combination of Simon and Julie Thomas had won the Australasian title at the last three transtasman series but had to yield their crown to Australia's Ian Ogilvie and Barbara Hill.
The Australians won the first two matches 25-13, 20-21 but New Zealand won the third match 20-16 to salvage some pride and help the overall result.
Australia won both the men's and women's triples on Saturday afternoon. In the women's event Meredith Norton, Jody Moore and Patricia Legge beat New Zealand's Sandra Keith, Carol Wright, New Zealand 22-11, 22-10, 21-15.
The Australia men's team of Chris Dudman, David Speechley and Terry Hogan beat Blair Spicer, Grant Rayner and Mike Phipps 20-10, 22-15, 24-14.
