Team leaders Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes have produced a superb rescue act to mastermind Australia's most successful women's T20 run chase against New Zealand at North Sydney Oval on Saturday.
Chasing 163, Australia were languishing at 4-45 in the fifth over but recovered to win by six wickets.
But a perfectly paced unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 119 wrenched the match out of the White Ferns' grasp.
It gave Australia their sixth win from as many women's T20 internationals on the ground, where 3026 attended on Saturday.
Lanning, in her first international in Australia since February 2017, scored 56 off 44 balls.
Haynes, who led Australia last summer when Lanning missed the entire Ashes series, was dropped on 56 and 58, but otherwise batted fluently in her innings of 69 off 40 balls.
Australia's previous highest successful chase against New Zealand was 147 in 2011 in England.
A late innings flourish which produced 36 from the last two overs set Australia a testing target.
Sent in by Lanning, the White Ferns made 5-162 with Katey Martin topscoring with an unbeaten 56 off 33 balls and Sophie Devine notching 43 from the same amount of deliveries.
Bernadine Bezuidenhout smashed successive sixes in the penultimate over bowled by Delissa Kimmince and Megan Schutt went for 20 in the last.
Devine's dismissal was contentious, with the catch by Beth Mooney at point looking as if it might have been taken on the half volley.
It was confirmed as out after numerous looks by the off-field official, though Devine felt she was not out.
Spinner Ashleigh Gardner was Australia's only multiple wicket-taker with 2-22 of three overs.
Debutante Georgia Wareham went for 15 in her one over of leg spin, but had Jess Watkin smartly stumped by Alyssa Healy off a legside wide.
The Australian openers took 13 off the first over, but lost four quick wickets.
Beth Mooney was caught at long on in the second off Leigh Kasperek and Australia subsided to 3-26 in the third over with Devine earning lbw decisions against Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Villani.
Their plight worsened when Ashleigh Gardner holed out at deep midwicket off the first ball of the sixth over from Kasperek.
Lanning took three boundaries from the first over from highly touted White Ferns teenage spinner Amelia Kerr and Australia remained in control thereafter.
The series continues in Brisbane on Monday and Canberra hosts the finale four days later.
AAP
