The England cricket team arrived in the country on Monday night but the prospect of spinner Dan Vettori playing against them appears slim.
Vettori has missed the Black Caps' last seven test matches through injury and is currently recovering from an achilles tendon problem.
New Zealand Cricket says Vettori's situation will be reassessed in early March which means he won't be available for any Plunket Shield matches between now and then, where he might be able to prove his fitness ahead of the first test in Dunedin on March 6th.
England's opening tour match is Twenty20 match against a New Zealand XI, which includes former Black Caps captain Ross Taylor, in Whangarei on Monday.
