England captain Ben Stokes is fit and 1.96m pace bowler Jamie Overton will debut in place of James Anderson who has what's described as a "puffy ankle".
Overton pips eight-test capped twin Craig for the spot.
Williamson takes the leadership reins from Tom Latham, who has held the role for nine of the side's last 18 matches in the format.
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He has been quizzed about his hotel room behaviour during the Black Caps' compelling loss at Trent Bridge.
"No, I don't shout at the tv," Williamson quipped.
"I just watched and observed. It's always interesting seeing it from a different perspective, even though that wasn't my preferred place to be. It was a case of connecting from another side of the game."
Williamson also affirmed he wants to continue captaining the side.
Commentator and former Black Cap Simon Doull suggested a change is needed ahead of the Trent Bridge fixture.
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However, the man who led the country to the inaugural test championship remains committed to the role.
"The picture of leadership in this side is something I remain passionate about. I love playing for my country and there are a number of leaders in the team who share that passion."
On that note, his opposite Stokes ensured New Zealand know what they're up against in terms of personnel and attitude.
Stokes has outlined their approach with an unassailable 2-nil lead.
"I've told the team to try to think like we're in the entertainment rather than the sporting business.
"There's a reason we had 20 thousand people at Trent Bridge [for the victory] on the fifth day… because they want to come out and watch this new brand of cricket we're playing.
"So I set a challenge to the team to be more fearless, positive and aggressive than we were last week."
Stokes passed another Covid test overnight. He had sat out the previous day's training because he felt ill after a visit to his old club Cockermouth.
Meanwhile, this test represents Yorkshire earning back the right to host internationals after the racism row which engulfed the county regarding allegations by former player Azeem Rafiq.
In overturning the ban, the England board concluded Yorkshire had committed to building a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion and a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had stints at the county during four seasons of the period in question - 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018. Rafiq was with Yorkshire from 2008 to 2018.
"It has been incredibly sad to see what has unfolded and I only hope that something positive emerges with their awareness because there is no place for racism or discrimination in sport or society.
"Clearly there were issues I was made aware of more recently, and I can only hope there is healing through all of this."
Stokes was also asked for his view.
"We've got a responsibility on and off the field to do what we do. If we keep doing good things on the field, more fans will be attracted to the game."
