The Dunedin swimmer finished fourth in her Commonwealth Games 400m freestyle final, clocking a time of 4min 03.83sec.
It left Fairweather (18) just shy of Australian bronze medallist Kiah Melverton, who finished in 4min 03.12sec.
They were led by Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, the Australian winning gold in a Games record of 3min 58.06sec.
Canadian 15-year-old Summer McIntosh was second in 3min 59.32sec.
It was a strong effort from Fairweather, who kicked well on the final lap and came in ahead of Australian star Lani Pallister.
The performance was also the closest she has got to a major event medal.
Fairweather had qualified first for the final in last night’s heat, although this morning’s was a much-faster pace.
Fellow New Zealander Eve Thomas finished sixth in 4min 09.73sec.
