Earthquake recovery staff spent $4.7 million on domestic travel and just over $600,000 on international travel between 2011 and April 2016.

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Earthquake recovery staff flew all around the world visiting stadiums, learning about 'mindful leadership' and trying to attract investment to Christchurch.

The international travel expenses of the now-defunct Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) cost the taxpayer more than $600,000.



But that pales in comparison to the cost of flights between Christchurch and Wellington.



Cera spent $1.9 million on flights to and from the capital from 2011 to mid-2015. In the organisation's five-year life, more than $4.7m was spent on domestic travel all up.

ROBYN EDIE/FAIRFAX NZ Taxpayers spent more than $600,000 sending staff from the now-defunct Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority on overseas trips and $4.7 million on domestic travel.

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Stuff requested a break down of travel costs for every year Cera existed under the Official Information Act.

Information released by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), which has assumed some of Cera's recovery functions, said Cera was one of only two Government departments with its head office outside of Wellington.

"Due to the need to meet with other key government agencies, attend Cabinet meetings and ministerial meetings as required, domestic travel between Christchurch and Wellington was undertaken on a regular basis," DPMC's Greater Christchurch Group director Kelvan Smith said.

"The use of teleconferencing and video conferencing was encouraged as much as possible."

The travel costs included flights, accommodation and other expenses, but did not include the cost of staff training courses.

Details of Cera's overseas trips for 2011 and 2012 were not included in the annual financial review.

As Cera's finance department has been disestablished, Smith said locating the information would take too long.

In the 2012-13 financial year, former chief executive Roger Sutton went to London and Geneva to visit the Francis Crick Institute and attend the UN Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. The trip cost more than $12,000.

Two senior CCDU staff went to Washington to take part in the US-NZ Pacific Partnership Forum at a cost of $32,769.

The most expensive trip of the year was to send four staff members to the UK and the US to meet with international reinsurers and development authorities.

"Future insurability and development of Christchurch" was listed as the outcome of the trip in Cera's financial review. Flights alone cost almost $47,000 while accommodation cost $12,000.

In the 2013-14 financial year, staff travelled to Australia, Hong Hong, Dubai and the US to conduct "convention centre request for proposals interviews".

Two project directors and an advisor went on the trip, which cost more than $48,000.

A CCDU project director and deputy director travelled to Hong Kong and the UK for the Stadium Business Summit at a cost of about $27,000.

The majority of other trips that year were for staff training.

Another manager met with construction companies in Hong Kong. The trip cost about $13,000.

Three staff, including Gerry Brownlee's private secretary, were part of a Cricket World Cup business delegation to Australia, India and the US during the 2014-15 financial year. The trip cost $21,500.

The same year, two deputy chief executives were among a New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development delegation and travelled to the UK and the US at a cost of $36,000.

Two staff went to Spain for the purpose of "stadium and investors", Cera's financial review said. The trip cost more than $30,000.

A deputy chief executive travelled to Italy to participate in a "think tank to consider New Zealand as a case study to relocate populations".

In September 2015, only seven months before the legislation behind Cera's existence expired, a project director visited stadiums in Singapore, Germany and Canada.

The trip, as part of the Stadia & Arena Asia Pacific 2015, cost $21,512.

The $470m stadium was originally expected to be completed in 2017, but the city council last year pushed the project's timeline until 2022 to 2025.

Of the 24 overseas trips Cera staff went on, 15 involved staff training and development or study tours.

Two staff attended 'mindful leadership' courses at Melbourne Business School, while one general manager attended a leadership programme at Harvard Business School.

The cost of courses and conferences was not included in the information released by Cera.

Asked about the amount spent, Prime Minister John Key said he had seen the Stuff story but did not have details about the travel expenses.

Key said Cera was a new organisation and its role in Christchurch's recovery had attracted global interest.

"It had a lot of information that other people wanted.

"I know there were some conferences that some of their people went to to share experiences about how you deal with a major natural disaster."