The Blackcaps are one win away from a Twenty20 International series whitewash against Pakistan, after going 4-0 up with a seven-wicket victory at Christchurch's Hagley Oval.
Set 159 for victory, New Zealand were in serious trouble at 20/3, but a record unbeaten partnership of 139 between Glenn Phillips (70 not out) and Daryl Mitchell (72 not out) kept Pakistan winless on their tour of New Zealand.
Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/34) did his best to help his side end their losing run, but was backed up by neither his fielders nor his bowlers, as Mitchell and Phillips timed their chase to perfection.
The stand eclipses the 124 set by Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson against Bangladesh at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval in 2017.
The victory was all the more satisfying for the Blackcaps, after being forced into a late reshuffle, when Devon Conway tested positive for COVID-19.
Even without captain Williamson and a failure with the bat for Finn Allen, the fourth-wicket pair had more than enough to rescue another victory, with 11 balls up their sleeve.
After winning their first toss of the series, Mitchell Santner's decision to bowl saw the home side restrict Pakistan to 158/5, a total that could have been worse were it not for an unbeaten 90 to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
With the ball, Matt Henry was exceptional in taking 2/22 from his four-over spell, while Lockie Ferguson returned 2/27.
On his home ground, Henry struck with his fifth ball to remove Saim Ayub, thanks to a juggling act at first slip from Daryl Mitchell.
Despite the early loss, Pakistan's senior pair of Rizwan and Babar Azam made sure the tourists didn't stutter, adding a 50-run stand in only 29 balls.
The Blackcaps struck back through Adam Milne - celebrating his 50th T20 International more than 13 years after his first - when he bounced out Babar, caught for 19 by Glenn Phillips at deep midwicket.
After Pakistan scored 51 runs in the opening six-over powerplay, the Kiwis applied the squeeze with the ball once the field spread, as the tourists scored just 20 runs in the next 24 balls to be 71/2 at halfway.
Rizwan batted on to reach his half-century in 38 balls, but lost Fakhar Zaman for a pained nine from 15 balls, when he found Mark Chapman, off the bowling of Ferguson, at 83/3.
Ferguson had a second four balls later, when he bounced out Sahibzada Farhan for one, with an excellent running catch from Phillips.
Despite a run that saw Pakistan go 7.4 overs without hitting a boundary, Rizwan attacked inside the final overs, but continued without a foil at the other end. Iftikhar Ahmed limped to 10 from 14 balls, before he was caught at extra cover by Tim Southee.
In danger of seeing the innings peter out, Mohammad Nawaz arrived at the crease and hit 21 off the penultimate over, bowled by Milne, to bring up Pakistan's 150.
With a century in sight, Rizwan was left stranded in the 90s, as Southee limited the damage to just six runs in the final over, giving New Zealand a target of 159 for victory.
Fresh from a recordbreaking century at Dunedin, Allen looked to get New Zealand's chase off to the perfect start by hitting two boundaries in his first three balls - but fell for eight on his fourth, when he was caught at point of Afridi.
Afridi had a second to end the first over, as Tim Seifert perished for a golden duck, when he chipped a catch to Babar at mid-on.
New Zealand's top order demolition was complete 10 balls later, as Will Young pulled straight to Nawaz at midwicket for Afridi's third, leaving the Blackcaps chase in trouble at 20/3.
Phillips weathered an early knock to the head, as he and Mitchell added a 50-run stand in 44 balls to take New Zealand to 70/3 at the halfway stage.
In the 14th over, with the required run rate increasing, Phillips cleared the ropes for the first time to take the Kiwi score over 100 and raised a 41-ball half-century one delivery later.
In the same over, Pakistan missed the chance to dismiss Mitchell for 35, when he was dropped by Farhan on the long-on boundary.
Entering the final five overs, with the Blackcaps needing 45 for victory, Mitchell raised both his own fifty and the century partnership between himself and Phillips, with a vicious pullshot over fine leg, off Afridi.
Phillips eased pressure on the required rate even further, this time pulling Haris Rauf's slower ball into the stands for six more, before Mitchell lofted another boundary back over the bowler's head in the same over.
An over later, Phillips all but sealed the win by clearing the cover boundary, this time off Zaman Khan, and took the equation to less than a run a ball for victory.
Mitchell cleared long-on in the same over to take the target down to single figures, before sealing the win in the next over, with a pulled boundary off Haris.
Both teams will return to the same venue on Sunday, where the Blackcaps can seal a comprehensive 5-0 whitewash.
Pakistan 158/5 (Rizwan 90no; Henry 2/22, Ferguson 2/27) New Zealand 159/3 (Mitchell 72no, Phillips 70no; Shaheen 3/34)
New Zealand win by seven wickets, lead series 4-0
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