FOUR wickets apiece for Shane Bond and Tim Southee lifted New Zealand to a 51-run win over Australia in the final one-day international.
Another faltering display with the bat saw New Zealand post 241 for nine off their 50 overs at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium, a total that Australia would typically have reached with ease.
But smarting from two heavy defeats, with the series already gone and the two-Test series beginning next week, New Zealand produced a fine performance with the ball, led by Bond and Southee, to bowl the visitors out for 190 in 46.1 overs.
Bond finished with four for 26, while Southee had career best one-day figures of four for 36 off nine overs.
New Zealand had some luck along the way with Ricky Ponting (duck) and Adam Voges (five) both given out dubiously.
New Zealand went into the final match of the series knowing an improved batting performance was essential.
It did not materialise and once again it was left to Scott Styris to dig his team-mates out of trouble as they lost early wickets to be 32 for three inside just eight overs.
The all-rounder top-scored with 55, the only New Zealander to make a half-century, and formed vital partnerships of 53 and 68 with Ross Taylor (30) and Daniel Vettori (28), respectively.
Daryl Tuffey also chipped in with another cameo of 36 at the end to get his side above 240.
Australia, though, failed to make a strong start in reply, with Bond taking two wickets in two balls as the tourists fell to 27 for two.
First he had Brad Haddin (17) caught by Southee then was lucky to get Ponting next ball as it flew off the Australia skipper’s helmet, not his gloves as umpire Gary Baxter adjudged.
Southee then got dangerman Cameron White (six) and Voges (five) cheaply and New Zealand’s 241 was beginning to look defendable with Australia struggling on 72 for four in 20 overs.
Opener Shane Watson (55) got the only score of note, bringing up his 15th one-day fifty – and first in the series – with a single of Nathan McCullum the 23rd over.
But the spinner eventually got his man when Watson hit one straight to Taylor to end his 79-ball stay that produced just four boundaries.
It was McCullum’s first one-day wicket in his third match and was the result of the pressure he and fellow spinner, skipper Daniel Vettori, were able to build with good tight bowling that kept Australia pinned down.
Michael Hussey and James Hopes were left to do the rebuilding and it was Australia’s `Mr Cricket’ who took charge as the pair put on 50 runs for the sixth wicket.
Having reached the half-ton they opted to take the batting powerplay but Southee was brought back into the fray and struck in successive overs to remove Hussey then Mitchell Johnson.
Hussey got a yorker delivery that beat the bat and cannoned into the stumps leaving him four runs shy of his fifty.
The next over Johnson (six) holed out to substitute fielder James Franklin and Australia were staring down the barrel of defeat.
Bond then had Nathan Hauritz caught by Scott Styris for nine, Vettori got James Hopes (40) before the New Zealand quick combined with Southee to dismiss Clint McKay (two) and wrap up the win.

NEW ZEALAND innings
B. McCullum c Ponting b McKay    1
M. Guptill run-out    7
R. Taylor c Bollinger b Watson    30
S. Stewart c wkp. Haddin b Johnson    6
S. Styris b Hopes    55
D. Vettori b Bollinger    28
G. Hopkins c Haddin b Hauritz    26
N.McCullum c&b Johnson    17
D. Tuffey c Ponting b McKay    36
S. Bond not out    6
Extras: (lb-3, w-19, nb-7)    29
Total: (9 wickets, 50 overs)    241
Fall of wickets: 1-21,2 -25, 3-32, 4-85, 5-153, 6-155, 7-186, 8-214, 9-241.
Bowling: C. McKay 10-1-57-2 (nb-1), D. Bollinger 9-2-37-1 (nb-1, w-2), M. Johnson 10-0-42-2 (w-6), S. Watson 8-1-31-1, N. Hauritz 7-0-43-1 (nb-1), J. Hopes 6-0-28-1 (w-1)

AUSTRALIA innings
S. Watson c Tylor b N.McCullum    53
B. Haddin c Southee b Bond    17
R. Ponting c (wkp.) Hopkins b Bond    0
C. White c Vettori b Southee    6
A. Voges c Hopkins b Southee    5
M. Hussey b Southee    46
J. Hopes c Guptill b Vettori    40
M. Johnson c sub. Franklin b Southee    6
N. Hauritz c Styris b Bond    9
C. McKay c Southee b Bond    2
D. Bollinger  not out    1
Extras: (lb-1, w-4)    5
Total: (all out 46.1 overs)    190
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-27, 3-46, 4-72, 5-96, 6-146, 7-157, 8-186, 9-186.
Bowling:  S. Bond 9.1-1-26-4, D. Tuffey 8-0-41-0, D. Vettori 10-1-39-1 (w-2), T. Southee 9-0-36-4 (w-1), N. McCullum 8-0-31-1 (w-1) S. Styris 2-0-16-0.