This technical note presents comparisons between the emergency response and recovery efforts following two significant seismic events: the 2010–11 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence in New Zealand and the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake in Japan. Drawing on the author’s firsthand observations from both events, the paper highlights key differences in infrastructure resilience, emergency coordination, and community recovery. The aim is to inform future disaster response strategies in New Zealand by learning from Japan’s approach, particularly in terms of speed, adaptability, and community integration.