New Zealand captain Scott Barrett believes his side put out a "statement" as they earned a 41-24 win over Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener.

The All Blacks had to hold off a second-half fightback from Argentina after taking a 31-10 lead into the break, but they got the job done to return to the top of the world rankings for the first time in four years.

Sevu Reece ensured they made a quick start with an early try, and though Rodrigo Isgro reduced the deficit, Ardie Savea, Cortez Ratima and Reece all crossed again to open up their big first-half advantage.

Tomas Albornoz and Joaquin Oviedo led the comeback for the Pumas either side of Billy Proctor being sent to the sin bin, reducing the All Blacks' lead to just seven points.

However, substitute Samisoni Taukei'aho scored two tries in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory that saw New Zealand leapfrog world champions South Africa, who lost 38-22 to Australia on Saturday, to the number one spot.

"We talked about starting well, and I think we did that. We finished the second half quite strong... it was a bit of a statement there," said Barrett.

"In the second half, we were a little bit slow and probably a little bit of indiscipline fed their game, which was disappointing and allowed the crowd to get in behind them.

"They threw a lot of punches at us, and I'm pleased the guys who finished the game were able to win some arm wrestles, get some territory and most importantly come away with a good win."

Argentina are now winless in their last 15 matches against New Zealand on home soil, losing 14 of those (D1).

New Zealand, meanwhile, have won their last five Tests in a row, having come into the tournament on the back of a 3-0 series win over France.

They will be looking to extend their winning runs when the sides meet again in Buenos Aires on Saturday.