A record third-wicket partnership of 126 between Scott Styris and Hamish Marshall steered New Zealand to a six-wicket win over South Africa in the fourth one-day international on Wednesday.

Chris Cairns (29) hit a six over long-on to give New Zealand victory with an over to spare and a 3-1 lead in the six-match series.

The stand between Marshall (74) and Styris (69) surpassed New Zealand's previous best for the third wicket against South Africa, 110 scored by Roger Twose and Stephen Fleming at Kimberley in 2000.

New Zealand had been battling to maintain the required run rate until Styris reached his eighth fifty in one-day internationals. He then unleashed a furious sequence of shots off fast bowlers Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis.

Styris, whose innings included five fours and a six, was eventually dismissed in the 44th over, lifting an Andre Nel delivery to Lance Klusener backward of point.

Two runs later, Marshall departed, caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Kallis for a 94-ball 74.

All rounder Cairns dispelled any jitters, though, smashing three sixes to bring the total required to below 20 with four overs left, and he nursed the team home with the aid of Craig McMillan, who finished six not out.

Fleming and Michael Papps had given New Zealand a steady start in pursuit of the 260 needed for victory with an opening partnership of 71.

Papps was caught by Nicky Boje at midwicket for 29 and Fleming went for 51 after a lazy flick on the leg-side straight to Shaun Pollock at a short midwicket.

Earlier, Jacques Rudolph top-scored for South Africa with an unbeaten 70 as the tourists notched the biggest total of the series, 259 for seven.

Rudolph, dropped by Kyle Mills on 50, shared an 84-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Boje (50) after the tourists had been reduced to 100 for four.

Mark Boucher, batting at number seven, weighed in with 35 to help Rudolph put on 64 for the sixth wicket.

The match had been delayed from Tuesday because of rain.

Scoreboard:

South Africa:
G Smith c McCullum b Oram               37
H Gibbs lbw b Mason                          16
J Kallis c Cairns b Oram                       13
B Dippenaar b Cairns                           18
N Boje b Styris                                    50
J Rudolph not out                                 70
M Boucher c McMillan b Oram            35
S Pollock c Vettori b Mills                      5
L Klusener not out                                  3

Extras (lb-6 w-3 nb-3)                    12

Total (for seven wickets, 50 overs)  259

Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-53, 3-78, 4-100, 5-184, 6-248, 7-255.

Did not bat: M.Ntini, A.Nel

Bowling: Mason 10-1-46-1(w-1), Mills 10-1-53-1(nb-2), Oram 10-1-51-3, Cairns 10-1-42-1(nb-1 w-1), Vettori 5-0-28-0(w-1), Styris 5-0-33-1

New Zealand:
M Papps c Boje b Ntini                  29
S Fleming c Pollock b Boje             51
H Marshall c Kallis b Ntini              74
S Styris c Klusener b Nel                69
C McMillan not out                           6
C Cairns not out                             29

Extras (lb-2 w-2 nb-2)               6

Total (for four wickets, 49 overs) 264

Fall of wickets: 1-71, 2-102, 3-228, 4-230.

Bowling: Pollock 10-2-33-0, Nel 10-0-60-1(w1), Ntini 10-0-63-2, Klusener 8-0-39-0(nb2), Boje 6-0-35-1(w1), Kallis 5-0-32-0 .

Result: New Zealand won by six wickets.

Man of the match: Hamish Marshall.

Series: New Zealand lead the six-match series 3-1.

Next match: Saturday, February 28 - Eden Park, Auckland.