Chasing 164, the Black Caps rode on a brilliant 84 not out from Seifert and unbeaten 57 from Williamson to comfortably chase down the target with four balls to spare.
Babar, who has been Pakistan's top run-scorer across all three formats since last year, suffered a fracture in his thumb during a throw-down session in Queenstown on December 12 which ruled him out of the three-match T20 series.
The injury to the left side of his back surfaced after the recent T20I series against the West Indies and subsequent scans and imaging later confirmed the partial fracture.
With this win, the Kiwis have attained the number one ranking in Test cricket for the very first time. The side have also toppled England at the third spot in World Test Championship standings.
On the other hand, experienced campaigner Ross Taylor has been excluded from the Kiwi squad. With the T20 series against Pakistan scheduled to start just three days after the ongoing Test against West Indies
Only a stubborn century partnership by Jermaine Blackwood and Alzarri Joseph stalled New Zealand's hopes of dismissing the West Indies twice in one day
The team players were confined to their rooms when the first cases emerged last week but had hoped to resume training before finishing their stint in isolation on Tuesday
The visitors were denied permission to practice from the third day of their isolation period when some players breached Covid-19 protocols on their first day in Christchurch
Boys, I spoke to the New Zealand government and they told us there were three or four breaches of protocols. They have a zero-tolerance policy and they've given us a final warning. We understand that this is a difficult time for you
Meanwhile, spinner Ajaz Patel will miss the opening Test as he continues to recover from a calf injury. Mitchell Santner will replace the left-arm spinner.
