In a match which see-sawed from quarter to quarter, the Magic's composure under pressure proved telling as they repelled a series of Steel resurgences throughout the full 60 minutes.
Honours had been evenly shared between the two teams in round robin play, the Magic winning by six goals in March, the Steel by five in mid-May.
But the Magic had momentum, after downing finalists Adelaide Thunderbirds 53-44 in Rotorua last week while the Steel faltered to a 38-55 loss to then-unbeaten NSW Swifts.
The Magic looked dominant from the first whistle tonight, playing with rhythm and pace to lead 16-8 at the end of the first quarter.
A swooping long shot from goal attack Jodi Brown to open the scoring set the stage for a spectacular first 15 minutes for the Magic.
The combination between Brown and the outstanding Irene van Dyk at goal shoot was superb, aided in no small part by a slick midcourt effort which had the confidence to let the ball go.
With the Magic through-court defence putting pressure on the Steel attacking ball, goal keep and Silver Ferns captain Casey Williams was able to pull down some beautifully timed intercepts.
Outscored two to one after 15 minutes, the Steel showed real grit to fight back and take the second quarter 13-8, some stifling midcourt defence at last slowing the Magic ball on attack.
In the circle, defenders Leana de Bruin and Te Huinga Selby-Rickit tightened up on van Dyk and Brown, and with turnovers coming regularly, the Steel clawed their way back into the game.
Coach Robyn Broughton benched shooter Daneka Wipiiti at halftime, after a quiet half which saw her sink nine from 14 for an ordinary 64 percent success rate. Youngster Julianna Naoupu took the court in her stead and slotted in seamlessly with goal attack and captain Megan Dehn.
Trailing 21-24 at halftime, the southerners hit the front early in the third quarter but never managed to get more than two on the Magic, who finished strongly to lead 38-32 with 15 minutes remaining.
Wipiiti returned for the closing stages of the last quarter, which turned into a real battle of attrition as the Steel attempted yet another unlikely comeback.
However, the Magic finished the game with the same seven who started, and with the same aplomb that featured in the first 15 minutes, taking the spell 12-10 and securing the match.
The Magic now travel to Newcastle for next Sunday's preliminary final against the Swifts, who beat the New Zealand team 60-43 early last month in round robin play.
The Swifts were unbeaten this year until they crashed to an unexpected 38-52 defeat against Adelaide Thunderbirds yesterday, ending a 13-match winning streak.
