The Silver Ferns battled hard in a competitive semifinal against England but fell away at the end to lose 46-40 in Cape Town on Saturday.
Level after each quarter, England finally broke the deadlock in the final quarter to pull away from the Silver Ferns and earn a place in their first world cup final.
“It was really disappointing the way we fell away at the end,” Silver Ferns centre Kate Heffernan told SkySport.
“Just to fall away and let them kind of get away at the end is really gutting.”
The teams were tied 20-all at the main break and 32-32 going into the final quarter. Prior to this victory, England last beat New Zealand at a world cup almost 50 years ago.
The Silver Ferns will now play Jamaica in the bronze final after Australia’s tight 57-54 victory over the Caribbean nation.
England narrowly beat Australia in group play, recording their first-ever world cup victory over 11-time champions Australia.
