The victory was achieved with an hour left on day five when Lasith Embuldeniya edged a short delivery from Trent Boult to Kane Williamson at gully. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 122 runs after New Zealand declared their second innings on 431 for six with a first-innings lead of 185.
A poor batting show ensured Sri Lanka’s early collapse as they lost five wickets in the first session and finished with 33 on the board. It all started with Lahiru Thirimanne's run out on the fifth ball of the innings.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne wasn't allowed to open as he had spent two hours out of the field. Kusal Perera, his replacement, chased a wide one, just like Angelo Mathews, and was caught behind.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella fought a lone battle for Sri Lankans but he was the ninth man out after a three-hour vigil. He made 51.
There was little support from rest of Sri Lanka's batsmen, with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne's 21 being the second-highest score. Suranga Lakmal and Dickwella had batted for over an hour, but the stand was broken when Lakmal gloved one to close-in fielder Tom Latham after tea.
Sri Lanka were still counting on Dickwella when he fell for his famous sweep shot. The 26-year-old relies heavily on the shot to score his runs, but on this occasion, he had stayed away from taking undue risks.
Latham's close in fielding was brilliant and so was his batting, particularly his battles with Sri Lankan spinners. The opening batsman was named Man of the Match for his 154, a seven-hour vigil in which he faced 251 deliveries and was involved in two hundred plus run stands.
Sri Lanka, who scored 244 in their first innings and were still 187 behind as they started their second, were tottering at 88 for seven at tea.
Off-spinner William Somerville had Suranga Lakmal caught by Tom Latham -- top-scorer of the match with 154 -- before Dickwella was caught off Ajaz Patel.
Patel, Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Somerville all finished with two wickets apiece.