A 70-year-old man has been taken into custody in Christchurch after making threats which led to a number of homes being evacuated.
Police said the man was due in court on Tuesday charged with "threatening act towards dwelling".
Earlier on Monday, a police cordon was in place in the suburb of Sydenham and nearby houses and businesses were evacuated.
"The address will now be cleared as a precaution to ensure there is no ongoing risk to the public before cordons are stood down," police said in an update on Monday evening.
"Police would like to thank the Sydenham community for their patience and understanding as we worked through the afternoon to resolve this safely for all."
Earlier in the day it was believed a bomb threat was made.
Officers were called to an address on Percival St about 10.40am after reports a person was making threats.
As a precaution, police evacuated people from adjacent properties and a cordon of about 100m was in place.
People have been asked to stay clear until the situation can be safely resolved.
Tennyson St resident Leon said police told him there had been a bomb threat, and he was asked to move to Colombo St.
Some Colombo St businesses near the scene have also been evacuated.
A shop owner who did not wish to be named told RNZ there had been rumours of a potential bomb around the area.
"We were told to evacuate the building as quickly as possible and go at least 100 metres away and that was all the information we'd heard," she said.
Evacuated cafe worker Aidan Mytton said the situation was scary.
"I've never had to experience anything like this before. It's a little frightening I guess but everyone's evacuated so that make me feel a bit safer."
Another business owner, who did not wish to be named, told RNZ she could see at least a dozen police officers and a police dog.
"Quite a lot of us just standing round on Colombo St evacuated, it's been going on for over an hour now," she said.
She said people were concerned about their properties and wondering what was going on.
A cafe owner told RNZ they did not know when they would be able to go back inside.
