Perenara (18) calmly slotted the sideline conversion yesterday of Bryn Hall's try which put his side outside the seven-point mark with less than five minutes to go.
Perenara, from Mana College in Wellington, said the kick was obviously a key one.
"The kick was really important for the team and the match. But that is what you practise for, those moments, and I just had to think of my routine," he said.
Perenara said the side had a lot of ball in the first half but rather went away from its patterns.
"The boys got a bit excited with the moment and tried to do things too much, rather than work on our phases and get down there.
"But we put it together in the second half, stuck to our patterns and things went our way."
Halfback Perenara, who played senior rugby in Wellington this year for the champion Northern United side, was forced into the outside backs at one stage with three backs crying off with injury, but said that just had to be done.
Outside Perenara, first five-eighth Matt McGahan (18) moved out one place late in the game.
McGahan, the son of Kiwis forward Hugh McGahan, said the side was not bothered by the changes.
"We were a bit short but adjusted well to it and did not let it fluster us. We'd talked about it all week, about adjusting to whatever was thrown at us," McGahan said.
McGahan, whose parents were in the crowd, said the match was very fast, but the side fell asleep in the middle of the second half.
New Zealand Schools coach Karl Jones said games between the two sides were always close so yesterday's result was not a surprise.
"Really, a 10-point margin is a big margin in these games. Normally it is four or five points in them. Last year was four points," Jones said.
Though pleased to win, he felt the side could have played a better.
"The Australians disrupted really well. I thought our forwards lacked urgency in the first half and got beaten up at the breakdown. We did not fight hard enough for the ball.
"We did not get any quick ball. Whether they were infringing or not, we should have tidied it up.
"But I'm just glad to get over the line. At the end of the day they won't remember the breakdown, they'll remember the result."
Only one of the players will return to school next year - replacement centre Jason Emery - though the programme for 2011 is up in the air.
Australian Schools coach Pat Langtry said it was an excellent game and felt New Zealand was just a little more accurate in second and third-phase play.
Missing one-on-one tackles was also costly but he was happy with the performance of the loose forwards which disrupted much of New Zealand's ball.
