I've missed a fair bit of the test but heard Guptill played woeful shots for both his dismissals which is inexcusable for him. He should know better, so should Latham but he's younger and still learning his game at test level. The same can be said for Nichols who will likely lose his spot to Taylor for the second test.
The answer to your question re the pitch if the toss was scrapped is almost certainly no. You'd have to think the pitch would be prepared as close to the line between bat/bowl first. Pitches will still be prepared to suit the home team but not to the extent they are currently are. When you have a 50/50 chance of choosing it can be worth the risk having a "doctored" (for want of a better term) but obviously that's out the window when the other team have the choice. You'd still want the pitch to assist the bowlers on the first day to an extent IMO.
On a different note - there is talk floating around that the Duke ball may be more suitable to NZ conditions.