Opener Natalie Dodd cracked 91 from 104 deliveries to help set up the mammoth chase, while seamer Claudia Green achieved prodigious swing and nabbed a five-wicket bag.
The touring side had reached 209 in the 39th over when its 10th wicket fell. But it batted on until it lost its 12th wicket in the final over for a total of 286.
Dodd produced one of the standout performances.
She combined in a damaging 87-run stand for the first wicket with Otago’s Hayley Jensen.
Jensen clobbered the ball to the boundary six times during her knock of 47 from 52 balls, while Dodd was equally aggressive but also adept at finding holes in the field and running singles.
She was eventually dismissed when she sliced a drive to a waiting fielder in the 40th over.
But by then the she had got the home side on track towards a mighty total.
Brooke Halliday capitalised on the platform with a punishing 56-ball innings.
She deposited the ball over the rope for three sixes and crunched eight fours.
The left-hander favoured the leg-side during her onslaught but eventually mistimed a shot and was caught for 79.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batswoman Katey Martin played a nice little cameo at the end.
She swung away five fours to post 31 not out from 20 deliveries.
England made a promising start to its reply.
The touring team got through to 64 before Tammy Beaumont slugged a catch to Katie Perkins at mid-on.
Central Districts right-armer Green picked up the wicket and nabbed another couple of quick scalps.
Natalie Sciver was undone by one of Green’s in-duckers before she could get going, and Danni Wyatt had her promising innings snuffed out for 54 when Green swung a delivery back half a metre to collect middle stump.
Heather Knight was beaten by swing as well but this time it was Jensen who was able to get the ball to bend back.
England had lost four wickets for 19 runs but Sophie Ecclestone (52) and Lauren Winfield-Hill (51) clouted half-centuries down the order to add some respectability.
Green picked up wickets eight and 10 to finish with five for 56 from her 10 overs.
