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Recently crowned as world No.1 for the first time, New Zealand are now guaranteed participants in the inaugural World Test Championship final in July.

New Zealand will have their chance for revenge at Lord's, qualifying for the World Test Championship off the back of their stunning home form.

Australia's decision not to travel to South Africa for their Test series means the Kiwis are confirmed participants in the inaugural championship final.

While Australia are not out of the equation, the Black Caps are likely to face India or England, who begin a four-Test series on the subcontinent on Thursday.

"It's very, very exciting ... it's a very special feeling," New Zealand coach Gary Stead said from Christchurch on Wednesday.

The Black Caps famously lost the 2019 World Cup final at Lord's after a tied super over, with England declared winners based on the boundary countback rule.

The result flummoxed fans and those in the New Zealand camp, with Stead confirming he'd already read up on the rules for the final.

"There's definitely no super over," he said.

"What happens is if the match is a draw or a tie, there are joint winners of the championship."

That heartbreaking loss is not far from the minds of any cricket fan but Stead said his team had moved on from it.

"What happened back in 2019, it's been and gone. We can't change it. We don't do anything about it," he said.

"It's about us just keep moving on to what's in front of us now

"Our guys are professional and skilful enough that they'll be able to do that."

New Zealand will be able to tune up for the series on English soil, booking two Tests - including another at Lord's - with England in June.

The Kiwis are ranked world No.1 courtesy of their formidable home form.

New Zealand's path to the final has been helped by hosting eight of their past 11 series, a run that has included series wins over England, twice, and India.

They've not lost a home Test in their past 17 outings, a record run.

On the road, they've beaten Pakistan, drawn with Sri Lanka and suffered a brutal 3-0 humbling to Australia.

Stead acknowledged they still had plenty to prove away from home.

"We can definitely get better," he said.

"But if you look around world cricket, not just us but many teams struggle in overseas conditions."

Before reaching England, the Kiwis have a wealth of short-form cricket to get through.

Australia visit for five T20 matches beginning on February 22, before Bangladesh play six matches in March.