Several homes were evacuated after police were called to an address on Waimea Road at 5.20pm.
A cordon was set up and a New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal team called to assess the item.
The bomb disposal team also travelled from Christchurch.
A number of homes in the area, including a section of Waimea Road and Renwick Place, had been evacuated as a precaution.
Police said the suspicious item was not a bomb and residents were allowed to return to their homes shortly after 4am Friday.
Investigations into the matter would continue today, police said.
Deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens urged caution at the time.
"Those who need or who have needed to evacuate have been told directly, but really it's about keeping out of the area, letting the response take place, trying to be cautious or courteous with some of the impacts on traffic that we're seeing."
O'Neill-Stevens said Waimea Road was a main thoroughfare and traffic was backed up earlier on Thursday.
