Loeb held a four-second lead after day one, increased that to 6.4 seconds by last night, and comfortably closed out today's final day to claim his fifth rally this season and solidify his lead atop the World Rally Championship standings.
Today's racing was almost a procession for the Frenchman after Citroen boss Yves Matton, fearful of the prospect of worsening conditions due to rain, last night ordered his drivers to end their battle for victory and ensure a team one-two finish.
Because Loeb and Hirvonen were more than a minute and a half clear of third-placed Petter Solberg, only a disaster would prevent Loeb from taking the title ahead of his Finnish teammate.
And that disaster never arrived today, with Hirvonen taking his foot off the pedal and allowing Loeb to emerge triumphant.
It was a disappointing end to what had been a fascinating duel between the pair, as both drivers dominated the Waikato roads on Friday then the tracks north of Auckland yesterday.
Loeb's lead on day one, courtesy of five stage wins, only arrived when he pipped Hirvonen in the final race, and Hirvonen threatened on multiple occasions yesterday to turn the tables.
But he could never reduce Loeb's lead to any lower than 1.7 seconds, before Citroen chose to settle the contest out the cars last night.
Meanwhile, New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon took out the second-tier Super-2000 class by more than half an hour, despite battling gearbox issues on day one and being hampered by a failing rear suspension today.
On more interest for the Kiwi, he finished some 15 minutes behind Loeb in 12th place overall.
