Some south coast Wellington residents are decrying what they believe were "unnecessary" evacuation orders and the local state of emergency issued ahead of huge swells battering the shoreline on Tuesday. Others say better safe than sorry — and pointed to property damage on the worst-hit streets as vindication.

The large swell warning has since been lifted, but the debate over how the city responded is only beginning. Hundreds were evacuated, two community halls were stood up overnight as emergency shelters, and a section of state highway was closed for ten hours.

It is tempting, on a calm Wednesday morning with the harbour glassy, to argue the response went too far. But the bar for an emergency declaration in 2026 is not what it was in 2010. With one-in-100-year sea-level events now hitting twice a year, the question may not be whether Tuesday was an overreaction. It may be whether it was a rehearsal.