Put in, England struggled for runs and Daniel Vettori took 2-28, but Luke Wright fired four sixes in 47 and Dimi Mascarenhas hit 22 off the final over. Chasing 243, Brendon McCullum gave the Kiwis a stunning start, blazing five fours and six sixes in 77 off 43 balls.
Ryan Sidebottom struck twice in two balls but rain had the final day.
Nothing could separate the teams after 680 runs in a frantic tie in the fourth match at Napier, but there were some crucial differences in the finale. New Zealand had a balanced attack with accomplished slower bowlers, while their opening batsmen made a mockery of England's assertion that it was a difficult pitch to score freely on.
England's 100 arrived in the 25th over, New Zealand reached theirs in the 11th.