England sauntered to a comprehensive five-wicket victory to win the three-match one-day international series with New Zealand 2-1 in Auckland.
Both sides had claimed convincing wins to take the series into the decider, but the Black Caps were thoroughly outplayed at Eden Park as the tourists reached their target of 186 with all of 75 balls remaining.
Paceman Steven Finn was the pick of the bowlers with three for 27 as Brendon McCullum battled in vain for his 79 off 68 balls as his side were bowled out for 185 in the 44th over, leaving England's batsmen to cruise to their target.
It was a second limited-overs triumph for Ashley Giles's side, who also beat the Kiwis in the Twenty20 series earlier in the tour as they prepare for the first Test in Dunedin, starting on March 6.
"I'm very pleased," captain Alastair Cook said after the match. "In these last two must-win games, we showed a lot of character and we can take a lot from them. The way we started the game was crucial, and that set the tone.
"We handled the chase, probably lost a couple too many wickets, but we got there. Joe [Root] can take a lot from his innings and it certainly gives us a headache going into the summer. Jimmy [Anderson] and Steve [Finn] have been world-class."
England named an unchanged side for the deciding encounter at the converted rugby ground with two noticeably short boundaries which the tourists exploited effectively in a perfectly-judged, albeit always comfortable, run chase.
James Anderson and Finn were virtually unplayable early on as New Zealand's top order floundered: Hamish Rutherford, BJ Watling and Kane Williamson contributing a combined 10 runs for the first three wickets.
Former skipper Ross Taylor (28) attempted to steady his side, but he and Grant Elliott (24) only managed to battle through painstaking knocks before the pair contrived to run-out the latter in farcical fashion as the hosts further faltered.
As is all too often the case for the Black Caps, captain Brendon McCullum was burdened with almost single-handedly hauling his side to a decent total, and he plundered five sixes and six fours in his gutsy knock.
James Franklin (14) provided fleeting support for his skipper before he gifted Graeme Swann with his 100th ODI wicket in the form of a caught and bowled, and McCullum was forced to hit out with 79 to his name and just number 11 Tim Southee for company.
It was an inauspicious showing with the bat from the hosts, who failed to see out over six overs of their innings, and England were tasked with a meagre total to chase on a ground which gives batsmen full value for every shot.
Cook and Ian Bell provided the tourists with an ideal platform as New Zealand's fast bowlers barely tested the batsmen with innocuous offerings, and 42 runs were put on for the first wicket.
Bell gave his wicket away with a careless pull shot to fall for 24, but Jonathan Trott was typically unflappable as he compiled a methodical 38 with four boundaries to accompany Cook.
Cook and Trott were both caught behind by wicketkeeper Watling, for 46 and 38, respectively, but the consistently impressive Joe Root continued where the pair left off as he consolidated with Eoin Morgan.
Two sixes and five fours saw Morgan accelerate England's run chase in thrilling fashion before he holed out to Kyle Mills off the bowling of Andrew Ellis, while Jos Buttler fell to a rash attempted hook shot with just three to his name.
But the unerring Root resisted the temptation to take undue risks as he closed out another match for England, hitting the winning runs to end on 28 not out as the tourists reached their target with most of the spectators having already left in hugely anti-climactic fashion.
It was a chastening defeat for the hosts, who have now gone down in both limited-overs series, and England will be hot favourites to dominate the three Test matches to follow, starting in Dunedin on March 6.