Captain Mitchell Santner led from the front, and saw the Blackcaps avoid an unwanted series defeat against Bangladesh, as both sides shared the spoils at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval.
Down 0-1 in the best-of-three series after a loss and a washout in the two opening matches, the skipper's efforts with the ball were pivotal in ensuring the Blackcaps didn't drop a home series to Bangladesh for the first time in their history.
After winning the toss and bowling first, Santner took 4/16 to restrict Bangladesh to just 110, with no Bangladesh batter able to score more than 20.
However, chasing less than a run a ball with the threat of rain ever-present, the Blackcaps made hard work of their task with a top-order collapse.
But from a position of serious trouble at 49/5, Santner (18 not out) and Jimmy Neesham (28 not out) shared the highest partnership of the match to guide New Zealand to their adjusted target of 78 when rain stopped play for good in the 15th over.
With the series shared, the Blackcaps will begin their preparations for their next assignment, when Pakistan arrive for a five-match Twenty20 International series in the middle of January.
Bowling first-up, Tim Southee vindicated Santner's decision, and struck in the first over when he trapped Soumya Sarkar LBW for four.
Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto briefly counter-attacked with 17 from 15 balls, but fell when he carved Adam Milne to Finn Allen at point, before the tourists lost a third when Ben Sears pinned Rony Talukdar on the toe, and saw Bangladesh 45/3 as the powerplay ended.
Santner entered the attack and removed Afif Hossain for 14, caught by Tim Seifert after an edge onto his pads, as he ripped through the Bangladesh middle order.
With the last ball of the 11th over, Santner had Towhid Hridoy (16) caught again by Seifert, and took his third wicket with his next ball when Mahedi Hasan edged behind for four.
The Kiwi captain was denied a hat-trick, but had his fourth wicket not long after, as Shamim Hossain top-edged a pull shot to fall for nine as Southee held the catch at short fine leg.
From 45/3 when Santner entered the attack, Bangladesh were 81/7 when he completed his spell – returning figures of 4/16 from his four overs.
From there, Bangladesh's innings limped into the final over, as Southee (2/25), Sears (2/28) and Milne (2/23) shared another wicket apiece, as the tourists were bowled out for 110 to all but end their hopes of a series win.
Chasing 111 for victory, though, the Blackcaps' chase wasn't as straightforward.
Despite a boundary-laden 38 from Allen, who hit four boundaries and two sixes, the rest of the top order failed to trouble Bangladesh.
The quartet of Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman were all dismissed for one each, as New Zealand slipped to 38/4 in the seventh over.
Chapman's dismissal was particularly calamitous, when he was run out at the non-strker's end after a collision with Allen, who altered his running line straight into his partner's path.
Behind on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern equation, Allen cleared the square leg boundary to reach the par score, only to lose his wicket when he was bowled by Shoriful Islam to see the Blackcaps in serious trouble.
But needing 62 runs to win, Neesham and Santner added 46 runs in just 37 balls to take the Blackcaps ahead of the DLS equation at 95/5 when the rain that had been forecast finally arrived.
Regardless of the defeat though, the series draw still favoured Bangladesh, who had never tasted success against the Blackcaps on Kiwi soil before this tour, but leave with both an ODI and T20 victory under their belts.
Bangladesh 110 all out (Shanto 17; Santner 4/16)
New Zealand 95/5 (Allen 38, Neesham 28 not out; Shoriful 2/17, Mahedi 2/18)
New Zealand win by 17 runs on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method
