Harry Brook's astonishing hundred came in vain as England paid the price for an abject batting display overall as well as dropped catches with a four-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the first one-day international at Mount Maunganui.
England captain Brook (135 off 101 balls; 11 sixes and nine fours) accounted for 60.53 per cent of the runs in his side's 223 all out in 35.2 overs, with Jamie Overton (46) the only other player to make double figures and Sam Curran (6) the third highest scorer.
The extras tally (17) was greater than the combined innings of six of England's top seven, with Jamie Smith (0) - bowled by Matt Henry from the first ball of the match - Ben Duckett (2), Joe Root (2), Jacob Bethell (2), Jos Buttler (4) and Curran out inside 12 overs at Bay Oval as the tourists slumped to 10-4 and 56-6 after being inserted.
In reply, England reduced New Zealand to 24-3 inside five overs - Brydon Carse (3-45) inflicting a first ODI golden duck on Kane Williamson - but dropped catches ultimately cost the tourists as the hosts triumphed with 80 balls in the bank - Daryl Mitchell (78no off 91) finishing things with a leg-side four off Adil Rashid (1-69).
Michael Bracewell (51 off 51) was spilled on two by Root at slip and Mitchell on 33 by Luke Wood at backward point during a fifth-wicket stand of 92, while Carse grassed Mitchell Satnter (27 off 25) on two at deep fine leg with 43 runs needed.
The Black Caps take a 1-0 lead into the second ODI in Hamilton on Wednesday (1am UK) before the series concludes in Wellington next Saturday and England then turn their full focus to the
You sense Brook will have to play a major role if England are to wrestle back the urn from Australia and without him against New Zealand on Sunday, it would have been a disaster as his fellow Ashes batters on show - Root, Duckett, Smith and, perhaps, Bethell - toiled.
Brook - who scored each of his first 36 runs in boundaries - put on 87 from as many balls with Overton for the seventh wicket after the other senior batters flopped, and then blazed 50 from 28 deliveries while adding 57 off 32 with last man Wood (5).
The skipper's pyrotechnics in that 10th-wicket stand included three sixes in a row off Jacob Duffy (3-55), three in an over off Henry (2-53) and a stunning pulled maximum off Nathan Smith as he gave England a total to defend after New Zealand seamer Zak Foulkes (4-41) had dismissed three of the top four and No 7 batter Curran.
England's top order wilted, albeit in difficult conditions, with Smith castled by a Henry nip-backer before Foulkes struck twice in the third over - Duckett snicking behind and Root cleaned up on the drive by a ball that jagged in.
Foulkes then struck Bethell's off stump with a jaffa at the start of the sixth over and England were six down in 11.3 when wicketkeeper Tom Latham took a blinder of a catch to remove Buttler and then a regulation grab to dismiss Curran, with Henry and Foulkes the bowlers respectively.
Duffy ended the Overton-Brook partnership - Overton slicing into the covers - before having Carse pouched at backward point next delivery and Rashid caught at midwicket four overs later, which was the cue for Brook to go berserk prior to holing out off Santner.
England made early inroads with the ball - Carse bowling Will Young (5) and having Williamson caught behind from successive deliveries, before Wood nicked off Rachin Ravindra for a breezy run-a-ball 17, while Latham's lbw dismissal to Carse had the Black Caps tottering on 66-4 in the 12th over.
Overton ran out Bracewell in the 27th over with 66 runs required and then caught Santner down the ground in the 35th with 17 runs needed as the New Zealand captain targeted a third six in four balls off leg-spinner Rashid.
Two overs later, Mitchell plonked Rashid over his head for a maximum and then wrapped up victory with a four over fine leg.
England captain and Player of the Match, Harry Brook:
"I felt in good touch. We didn't get off to a great start and I tried to take it upon myself to counterpunch and thankfully it came off.
"It was a do-or-die moment and got us up to a decent score that I thought was defendable. We started nicely with the ball but we struggled for wickets in the middle stages.
"That is a talking point in ODIs for us. We have to find ways - maybe being a bit different with fields to put them under pressure.
"We knew the ball would seam around a bit when we batted and they bowled really well, keeping the stumps in play.
"The question for us is could we have gone harder with the bat to put them under pressure? I probably think so. That's something we can learn."
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner:
"It was tough work in the end but the way we started off with wickets in the powerplay was great.
"We know Matt Henry can do that and I thought [Zak] Foulkes was outstanding with how he swung it. It looks like a nightmare facing him as a left-hander.
"We lost a few more wickets than we would have liked in the chase but the intent was still there. Bracewell and Mitchell's partnership was massive for us."
All times UK and Ireland
