Christchurch City Councillors will visit San Francisco to see how the city recovered from a powerful earthquake in 1989.
The five councillors, including deputy mayor Ngaire Button, will meet experts in everything from urban design to recovery of business confidence later in May.
A magnitude 7.1 quake hit Canterbury on 4 September last year, followed by a 6.3 quake on 22 February that caused severe damage particularly in Christchurch and loss of life.
The councillors will hear how parts of the American city were rebuilt, how public transport restored and how tourists were lured back following the February quake.
They will spend time with Art Agnos, the mayor who led the city during the disaster and the recovery.
The airfares have been donated by Air New Zealand and the councillors will pay for their own expenses.
Mayor Bob Parker will not make the trip.
