The Black Sticks withstood some last-gasp pressure from Argentina to secure a 3-2 win in the second women's hockey international in Blenheim on Sunday.
A lacklustre second quarter notwithstanding, the world No.4 Kiwis showed huge improvement from Saturday's opening 1-2 loss in the four-Test series.
After taking the lead three minutes from fulltime, New Zealand conceded a penalty corner with time up on the clock but managed to hold on for a hard-earned win over third-ranked Argentina.
The Black Sticks took time to get their attacking game up and running, holed up on defence and struggling to find any continuity or rhythm in working the ball through the midfield.
But all it took was a swiftly launched counterattack after six minutes for the New Zealanders to steal an unlikely early lead.
Charlotte Harrison's pace down the right opened up the Argentinian defence, and her well-weighted pass was finished clinically by Kirsten Pearce to grab a 1-0 lead.
Argentina hit back through Maria Granatto with just over a minute of the first quarter remaining to level the scores, then took the lead early in the second spell when Noel Barrionuevo smacked home past keeper Amelia Gibson from a penalty corner.
The Kiwis lost their defensive cohesion as the quarter progressed and were often stretched trying to match Argentina's pace down the left.
Trailing 1-2 at halftime, the Black Sticks equalised three minutes into the third quarter with Gemma Flynn's deflection from a penalty corner drag flick.
The Kiwis continued to push hard, with Argentinian keeper Maria Belen Succi making some excellent reflex saves to keep her team in the match.
New Zealand's patience and pressure paid dividends with just three minutes remaining, Olivia Merry forcing another penalty corner and sweeping home the winning goal.
The two teams meet again in Nelson on Tuesday before finishing the series in Christchurch on Friday.
NZN