The Blackcaps have defeated India by eight wickets to win the inaugural World Test Championship at Southampton's Ageas Bowl.
After they bowled India out for 170 in the second session of the final day, New Zealand were left with a target of 139 runs in a minimum of 53 overs to become the first side to win the trophy.
And despite the early loss of Tom Latham (9) and Devon Conway (19), an unbeaten partnership of 96 runs between Kane Williamson (52 not out) and Ross Taylor (47 not out) saw the Blackcaps to 140/2 to lift the prized mace.
In the hunt for wickets on an unfamiliar sixth day, Kyle Jamieson gave the Blackcaps the perfect start, as Indian captain Virat Kohli wafted a wide ball through to the gloves of wicketkeeper BJ Watling, out for 13.
India's other overnight batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara, fared no better, as he edged Jamieson behind to Taylor at slip, falling for 15, with India at 72/4 and ahead by 40.
Jamieson could have and should have had a third wicket before the end of the first hour, as Southee dropped the dangerous Rishabh Pant at second slip. The Indian keeper was on five at the time, with his side's lead at 50 runs.
Trent Boult removed Ajinkya Rahane, strangled down leg side for 15, as Ravindra Jadeja joined Pant in the middle. The two left-handers negotiated India through to lunch at 130/5, ahead by 98 runs.
But after the lunch break, Neil Wagner joined the bowlers' fun, when he had Jadeja caught behind by Watling for 16.
Playing in his last test, Watling's efforts with the gloves were a fitting final note in his copybook, as the Blackcaps keeper suffered a dislocated finger, when collecting a throw from Kane Williamson.
Despite the option of giving the gloves to either Tom Latham or Tom Blundell, Watling carried on.
The life given to Pant ended up costing New Zealand another 36 runs, but Kiwis breathed a sigh of relief, when the aggressive keeper skied a chance to Boult. Henry Nicholls did brilliantly to make the ground running backwards from point to take the catch.
Mohammed Shami arrived at the crease as the No.9 batsman and struck three quick boundaries to swell India's lead.
But after slicing Southee over the slips cordon for one, a brilliant piece of captaincy saw Shami's downfall for 13. The Indian seamer again managed a repeat of the previous ball, but could only find Tom Latham in the unorthodox fly slip position, stationed there by Williamson for that very shot.
And when Jasprit Bumrah fell for a fourth-ball duck, India had been bowled out for 170. Southee finished as the pick of the bowlers with 4/48, backed up by Boult's 3/39, Jamieson's 2/30 and 1/44 from Wagner.
Tom Latham and Devon Conway survived a tricky eight-over period before the tea break, and when the openers returned for the final session at 19/0, New Zealand needed 120 runs for victory, with all 10 second innings wickets in hand.
Latham fell after tea, stumped for nine, when he ran past an Ashwin off-break, bringing Williamson to the middle, after his first-innings 49.
The Blackcaps captain nearly became Ashwin's second wicket with his score on one, but successfully reviewed umpire Michael Gough's decision, seeing the ball turning to miss leg stump at 39/1.
But Conway had no such luck and was trapped by Ashwin, out leg before wicket for 19 at 44/2.
Fittingly, that dismissal saw Williamson and Taylor - New Zealand's two most prolific runscorers in test history - come together.
The senior pair were relatively untroubled in chasing down the remaining runs, as Williamson became just the second batsman in the match to pass 50, reaching his milestone from 86 balls, with eight boundaries.
Taylor hit the winning runs, whipping Shami over the leg side to the fence for four, and sending the pocket of Kiwi players and supporters into raptures.
The win is New Zealand's first international trophy since 2000, when the Blackcaps coincidentally also defeated India to win the ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi, Kenya.
