So what went wrong? In a nutshell, wretched shot selection. None of the five batsmen dismissed could put a case that they had been undone by fine bowling. The best deliveries don't always get the wickets. Yesterday was a perfect case in point.
Captain Ross Taylor's decision to bat was a fair call; however New Zealand's batsmen failed to heed the advice of Australian skipper Michael Clarke, who on Wednesday had stressed the need for discipline and execution with bat and ball.
As it happened, Australia's seamers weren't especially threatening.
New cap James Pattinson and the industrious Peter Siddle both had near Harmison moments early, so named after the English quick who ignored the batsman to send the first ball of an Ashes series directly to second slip.
Brendon McCullum boomed three boundaries in that over and for a time things were tootling along comfortably enough.
Then it all went wrong. Taking in Jesse Ryder's ridiculous dismissal in the first over after lunch - an airy back foot lash straight to point, at a stage where surely the message had been to knuckle down - four of the five wickets fell to shots of attacking intent. Kane Williamson's gentle nudge to short leg was the exception.
There's nothing wrong with a positive mindset, provided the collective brain had been engaged.
"The guys were wanting to try and exert dominance on the opposition and probably just got a touch over-aggressive and probably paid for it," McCullum said last night.
New Zealand had talked all week of the need to be confident, assertive and back themselves. You wondered if they had taken it a degree too far; running before they had walked.
What especially disappointed was that Australia's bowling was not a continuation of the penetrative, incisive days of McGrath, Gillespie and Lee and other top class seam operators.
Pattinson, Siddle and left armer Mitchell Starc all had their moments, the ball swerving like a banana at times, but no more than that. This was no relentless examination of batsmen's technique. It didn't need to be.
New Zealand lost five for 52 in 15.2 overs.
Things would have been even worse had Vettori's prod not gone just wide of Usman Khawaja's left hand at short leg just after arriving in the middle; while Brownlie was dropped by Clarke at first slip, and David Warner above his head at point within three balls, on three.
Put in the hapless Khawaja missing Martin Guptill on seven at short leg off Pattinson, and Taylor on four, and it was an ordinary day with the hands for the Australians.
Still, McCullum remains upbeat.
"We're certainly not looking back and saying we wished we'd bowled first. It's advantage Australia, but we're not far away from putting up a competitive total."
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand
First innings
B McCullum c Warner b Starc .......... 34
M Guptill c Haddin b Siddle .......... 13
K Williamson c Khawaja b Lyon .......... 19
R Taylor b Pattinson .......... 14
J Ryder c Warner b Starc .......... 6
D Brownlie not out .......... 32
D Vettori not out .......... 45
Extras (9b 3w 1nb) .......... 13
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Total (for 5 wkts) .......... 176
Fall: 44, 56, 78, 93, 96.
Bowling: J Pattinson 11-1-50-1 (2w 1nb), P Siddle 15-5-29-1 (1w), M Starc 13-0-52-2, N Lyon 10-0-31-1, M Hussey 2-0-5-0.
