New Zealand are showing no signs of loosening the noose on the West Indies for a second week as they stride closer to a first Test win of the year.
At tea on the third day at the Basin Reserve, the tourists are staggering at 5-135 after following on 248 runs behind.
With seven sessions still to play and the Wellington weather forecast clear for the rest of the week, the Black Caps are poised to finish a job they failed to complete in the drawn first Test at Dunedin last week.
Victory would be their first in 2013, ending a 10-match winless trot.
Bowling with more venom than the West Indies seamers could muster, Trent Boult ripped through the middle and tail of a first innings that crumbled to 193.
Southee knocked the top off their second dig as the tourists slumped from 0-74 to 5-117, struggling to cope with a ball that deviated more as it aged.
The removal of Kieran Powell for 36, bowled by Southee, sparked the slump.
Darren Bravo, whose double-century was the foundation of their Dunedin rearguard when they followed on 396 runs behind, fell without scoring in the following over.
His glove touched a short ball which provided Neil Wagner with his first wicket of the Test and sent tremors through the tourists.
Southee snared Kirk Edwards (35) and Marlon Samuels (12) through slick catches behind the wicket before Narsingh Deonarine (12) played on to Boult.
Even the accomplished Shivnarine Chanderpaul, on 18, looked uncomfortable as his team went to tea requiring another 113 to make the hosts bat again.
The first hour was dominated by left-arm seamer Boult, who took five wickets from 15 balls in securing career-best figures of 6-40.
Resuming at 4-158, the West Indies lasted less than 13 overs.
They failed to cope with Boult’s lively inswing, losing their last four batsmen for ducks – all clean bowled.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum quickly enforced the follow-on, a tactic for which he was criticised after the Dunedin Test.
However, it has them on course for their first win since beating Sri Lanka in Colombo 13 months ago.
