Marnus Labuschagne's run of form has continued as he and Steve Smith guided Australia through a tough middle session against New Zealand to be 2-160.
Labuschagne went to dinner on day one unbeaten on 68 in the pink-ball Test in Perth, marking the seventh time he has passed 50 in his past 10 Test innings.
Smith is alongside him on 31, with the pair having combined for Australia's slowest half-century stand of 2019.
Without the injured Trent Boult, New Zealand bowled with great discipline with Colin de Grandhomme (1-18) in particular hard to get away.
The Black Caps should have had Smith on 19 just before dinner when Tom Latham dropped him at second slip off debutant Lockie Ferguson.
The ball went fast at him after Smith slashed at a ball outside off stump, but it still should have been caught.
Smith has otherwise been forced to be patient in his 100-ball knock.
He didn't hit his first boundary until his 52nd ball and later worked spinner Mitchell Santner twice to the mid-on rope.
Labuschagne meanwhile led the pair. On the rare occasions the Black Caps pitched too full he drove nicely down the ground.
He brought up his half-century with the most aggressive shot of the session, when he uppercut Ferguson over the slips for four.
Neil Wagner had earlier taken the catch of the summer to remove the in-form David Warner for 43.
With Warner looking set for another big innings he bunted a low full toss back at left-armer Wagner (1-30) just before tea.
The ball never went above shin height and the Black Caps quick fell low to his right and took the ball with one hand.
It is just the second time Warner has been dismissed this Test summer, having amassed 532 runs already after a big series against Pakistan.
Joe Burns was the other batsman out, trapped lbw by de Grandhomme before ball tracking later showed he would have been not out had he reviewed it.
Australian Associated Press
