They will now go on to meet the fourth-placed CONCACAF nation in a home-and-away play-off in November for a place at Brazil 2014.
See below for all the play-by-play action.
Starting line-ups:
New Zealand: 1. Mark PASTON [GK], 2. Winston REID [c], 5. Tommy SMITH, 7. Leo BERTOS, 8. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 9. Shane SMELTZ, 10. Chris KILLEN, 11. Marco ROJAS, 15. Ivan VICELICH, 16. Jeremy BROCKIE, 20. Chris WOOD
Substitutes: 12. Jacob SPOONLEY [GK], 13. Dan KEAT, 14. Ian HOGG, 17. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 18. Tim PAYNE
Coach: Ricki HERBERT [NZL]
New Caledonia: 1. Rocky NYIKEINE [GK], 2. Judickael IXOEE, 3. Emile BEARUNE, 6. Olivier DOKUNENGO [c], 7. Dominique WACALIE, 10. Cesar LOLOHEA, 11. Bertrand KAI, 12. Roy KAYARA, 13. Noel KAUDRE, 17. Joel WAKANUMUNE, 19. Georges GOPE FENEPEJ
Substitutes: 4. Georges BEARUNE, 5. Kalaje GNIPATE, 8. Miguel KAYARA, 14. Jean Patrick WAKANUMUNE, 16. Iamel KABEU, 20. Steeve IXOEE [GK]
Coach: Alain MOIZAN [FRA]
Match officials:
Referee: Strebre DELOVSKI [AUS]
Assistant Referee 1: Ashley BEECHAM [AUS]
Assistant Referee 2: David WALSH [AUS]
4th Official: Mohd Amirul Izwan BIN YAACOB [MAS]
The match kicks off
1′ Early chance to New Caledonia as Georges Gope-Fenepej gets in behind the defence but can’t catch up with a pass over the All Whites back three
6′ Shane Smeltz appeals for a penalty for New Zealand but referee Strebre Delovski only gives a corner which amounts to nothing
9′ Smeltz floats a cross towards the far post, New Caledonia goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine can’t claim it and it goes out for a corner
10′ GOAL!!! New Zealand 1 – 0 New Caledonia: Chris Killen powers the Leo Bertos corner into the net to give the All Whites an early lead
12′ Cesar Lolohea whips in a deep free kick for New Caledonia, Emile Bearune almost gets on the end of it but goalkeeper Mark Paston claims safely
14′ Lolohea with another deep free kick. The delivery is perfect this time with Paston unable to claim cleanly. Bertrand Kai tries an acrobatic bicycle kick but is flaggged for offside
18′ Chris Wood nods down a cross for Smeltz but the Perth Glory striker can only hit the giant poster behind the goal
19′ Winston Reid ventures far up the pitch and tests Nyikeine with an impressively acrobatic attempt
20′ Gope-Fenepej finds space outside the area and wins a corner for New Caledonia from a deflected effort
21′ Lolohea gets his head to the corner but can’t direct the ball goalwards
26′ Tommy Smith thunders a header onto the crossbar for New Zealand from a Marco Rojas free kick
29′ New Caledonia concede a free kick in a dangerous area when captain Olivier Dokunengo brings down Rojas 40 metres out
29′ New Zealand fail to take advantage of the free kick and New Caledonia break quickly. Gope-Fenepej goes down as he tries to beat Bertos on the left hand edge of the box but no foul is given
31′ Gope-Fenepej slices the New Zealand defence with a laser-like through ball but Paston just manages to beat Kai to it
33′ Rojas tees up Jeremy Brockie who strikes his shot firmly but it is easily held by Nyikeine
37′ Bertos wins a free kick wide on the right which Rojas steps up to take
38′ The Rojas delivery is accurate and Wood meets it but heads over. The flag was up for offside so it wouldn’t have counted anyway
39′ Lolohea tries in vain to get on the end of a lofted through ball but is beaten to it by the touch line
40′ Gope-Fenepej has a shot blocked by Bertos and eventually the ball finds its way to Lolohea who blasts over the bar
41′ Rojas weaves his way through the New Caledonian midfield and finds Wood who can’t make space for a shot
44′ New Caledonia survive a remarkable goalmouth scramble that eventually ends with Smith toeing the ball onto the bar
45′ New Caledonia break forward with numbers but Kai misses the chance to link with his team-mates and is closed down
45′ One minute of injury time will be played
The first half comes to an end
The second half kicks off
47′ Rojas shows his wares on a snaky run but runs out of options
50′ Rojas slips in Wood who fires a fierce low drive that is somehow saved by Nyikeine
53′ A New Caledonia free kick is headed back across to Dominique Wacalie who volleys his shot just wide
56′ GOAL!!! New Zealand 1 New Caledonia 1: New Caledonia draw level when Lolohea takes a Kai cross on his chest at pace and slides his shot across Paston
56′ YELLOW CARD: Lolohea is booked for taking his shirt off to celebrate
60′ YELLOW CARD: Emile Bearune is cautioned for New Caledonia
62′ Rojas bends a free kick towards the near post but Nyikeine clears
63′ New Zealand nearly regain the lead when Wood rattles the back of the goal with a free kick
69′ The New Caledonia goal has silenced the previously vocal crowd in Dunedin
73′ Gope-Fenepej draws a good save from Paston
73′ YELLOW CARD: Wakanumune is cautioned for New Caledonia
74′ The free kick is nodded on by Wood to Smeltz but Nyikeine saves
74′ Rojas puts Wood through but the striker misses the target
75′ SUBSTITUTION: Killen is replaced by Tim Payne for New Zealand
75′ Kayara hits a blistering shot straight at Paston who can only bat the ball away
78′ SUBSTITUTION: Noel Kaudre is replaced by Iamel Kabeu for New Caledonia
78′ Lolohea has a chance to give the visitors the lead but hits his shot high
80′ SUBSTITUTION: Brockie is replaced by Kosta Barbarouses for New Zealand
83′ Barbarouses gets a cross in to Smeltz but he can’t strike it cleanly and the scores remain level
87′ SUBSTITUTION: Kayara is replaced by Kalaje Gnipate for New Caledonia
90′ New Zealand have appeals for a penalty turned down as Smeltz tries to reach a bouncing ball in the six yard box
90′ + 2′ SUBSTITUTION: Smeltz is replaced by Ian Hogg for New Zealand
90′ + 2′ YELLOW CARD: Bertos is cautioned for New Zealand
90′ + 4′ GOAL!!! New Zealand 2 New Caledonia 1: Tommy Smith heads New Zealand into a late lead and apears to have earned the win for his country
The final whistle is blown

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