Steve Smith has urged his Australia teammates to not rest on their laurels following their ascent to the top of the Test rankings.

Smith was at the crease as the Aussies secured a 2-0 series victory over New Zealand in Christchurch earlier today - a result that secured their return to the summit.

However, rather than believe that the job is now complete, the 26-year-old has challenged the players to build upon their advantage.

"It's a good start for us. We want to win every series we play and winning away from home is a big goal of mine and the team's," he told reporters.

"We came here at the start of the series wanting to win 2-0 and we knew if we did that we would be number one in the world.

"I guess the challenge for this group now is to extend that gap and try and play some very good cricket home and away."

Australia have won 12 of their last 19 Tests, losing just three times.