Battered but unbowed, the Silver Ferns recorded their fifth straight win at the Netball World Championships with a 57-49 win over a combative Malawi outfit.
Malawi's effort was built around unceasing defensive pressure, led by goal defence Caroline Mtukule and keeper Towera Vinkhumbo, and replicated right through the court.
Ahead 14-11 at the first break, and 30-24 at halftime, the Silver Ferns had to withstand a torrid third quarter and battled to go into three-quarter time with a narrow 42-39 lead.
Goal attack Jodi Brown, flattened late in the third quarter by an off-the-ball hit to the back, was replaced for the fourth quarter by Maria Tutaia.
The 99-Test veteran settled the attacking third, the Silver Ferns outscoring Malawi 15-10 to seal a slightly flattering win.
New Zealand coach Waimarama Taumaunu said mid-game discussions with the umpires around the off-the-ball contact had been useful.
She said while the umpires were seeing the contact, they had been playing advantage.
"What they were trying to do is play advantage, and I understand that - they're trying to allow us to get the ball unimpeded into the circle," she said.
"But the umpires at halftime made quite a conscious decision to be a little bit more aware and issue penalties on the off-the-ball body contact that was going on."
Silver Ferns skipper Casey Kopua said there'd been no surprises in the intensity Malawi brought to the game, especially after last year's three-goal win at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
"It certainly was a competitive match," she said.
"But for us, I guess we have to be able to take the hits plus also react to it as well, so I guess it's just that balance.
"We knew it was going to be like that."
The win means New Zealand remain the only unbeaten team after beating defending champions Australia in pool play and world No.4 Jamaica on Tuesday.
The Silver Ferns have a rest day on Thursday before finishing their qualification round matches against Uganda the following day.
A win there will confirm top seeding in pool E, and a semi-final clash against the second-ranked pool F team - almost certainly England - on Saturday.
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