Time in New Zealand

Last updated

Time zoneStandard timeDaylight time
New Zealand UTC+12:00 UTC+13:00
Chatham Islands UTC+12:45 UTC+13:45

Time in New Zealand is divided by law into two standard time zones. The main islands use New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), 12 hours in advance of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) / military M (Mike), [1] while the outlying Chatham Islands use Chatham Standard Time (CHAST), 12 hours 45 minutes in advance of UTC / military M^ (Mike-Three). [1] [2]

Contents

During summer months – from the last Sunday in September until the first Sunday in April – daylight saving time is observed and clocks are advanced one hour. New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) is 13 hours ahead of UTC, and Chatham Daylight Time (CHADT) 13 hours 45 minutes ahead. [3]

New Zealand's associated states – the Cook Islands and Niue – and the dependent territory of Tokelau use several different time zones at their own discretion.

History

On 2 November 1868, New Zealand officially adopted a standard time to be observed nationally, and was the first country to do so, about fifteen years before any other. Chatham Island was 45 minutes ahead of mainland New Zealand [twelve hours and fifteen minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time]. [4] [5] It was based on longitude 172° 30′ East of Greenwich, 11+1⁄2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). [6] This standard was known as New Zealand Mean Time (NZMT). [7]

In 1941, during the Second World War, clocks were advanced half an hour, to reduce electric power use [8] making New Zealand 12 hours ahead of GMT. This change was made permanent from 1946 by the Standard Time Act 1945, [9] at which the time at the 180°E meridian was made the basis for New Zealand Time. [10] NZST remained half an hour ahead of NZMT, and the Chatham Islands 45 minutes ahead of NZST.

The use of atomic clocks, which can measure time extremely accurately, led to the adoption of UTC. This was incorporated into New Zealand law in 1974. Atomic clock.jpg
The use of atomic clocks, which can measure time extremely accurately, led to the adoption of UTC. This was incorporated into New Zealand law in 1974.

In the late 1940s the atomic clock was developed and several laboratories began atomic time scales. A new time scale known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) was adopted internationally in 1972. [11] This was based on the readings of atomic clocks, updated periodically in accordance with time variations in the Earth's rotation by the addition or deletion of seconds (called leap seconds). The Time Act 1974 defines New Zealand Standard Time as 12 hours in advance of UTC. [12]

In 2011, the New Zealand dependency of Tokelau moved its time zone forward by 24 hours, by skipping 30 December to be in the UTC+13:00 time zone, the same zone as New Zealand daylight saving. [13]

Daylight saving time (DST)

Starting in 1909, a member of Parliament, Sir Thomas Kay Sidey annually put forward a bill to advance the clocks an hour from September to the following March and the Summer Time Act 1927 succeeded. [14] In 1927, clocks were advanced by an hour from first Sunday in November to the first Sunday in March. This proved unpopular, so the Summer Time Act 1928 revised this to a half-hour shift from 14 October 1928 (second Sunday) to 17 March 1929 (third Sunday), then the Summer Time Act 1929 permanently fixed this half-hour shift to run from the second Sunday in October to the third Sunday in March every year. In 1933, the period was extended from the first Sunday in September to the last Sunday in April. This continued until the Second World War, when emergency regulations in 1941 extended daylight saving to cover the whole year with annual re-applications until the Standard Time Act 1945 made the abandonment of NZMT permanent in 1946, so that 180° becomes the base longitude and what was called NZ Summer Time (NZST) became NZ Standard Time.

The Time Act 1974 empowered the governor-general to declare by Order in Council a period when daylight saving time is to be observed. [12] This was a one-hour shift (on top of the earlier half-hour shift) from the first Sunday in November to the last Sunday in February, promptly changed the next year by The New Zealand Time Order 1975 which fixed the period of observance from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in March.

In 1985 a comprehensive survey was undertaken by the Department of Internal Affairs. Public attitudes towards NZDT (New Zealand Daylight Time) and its effects on work, recreation and particular groups of people in society were surveyed. The survey indicated that 76.2% of the population wanted NZDT either continued or extended. [15]

The strongest opposition to DST has traditionally come from dairy farmers due to disrupted schedules and shorter working times. Abaconda leigh farm.jpg
The strongest opposition to DST has traditionally come from dairy farmers due to disrupted schedules and shorter working times.

The survey also concluded that opinion on the topic differed little between sexes, and that support for NZDT was generally higher in urban centres. Daylight saving was famously opposed in the small Northland dairy farming community of Ararua, [16] which refused to adjust its clocks for some years. Support for shortening or abolishing NZDT was always in the minority in the areas surveyed.

As a consequence of the survey and further feedback from the public, in 1988 the Minister of Internal Affairs arranged for a trial period of extended NZDT to be held from the second Sunday in October 1989 to the third Sunday in March 1990. The Minister invited the public to write to him with their views on the five-week extension. [15]

The Daylight Time Order 1990 declared that NZDT would run from 02:00 NZST on the first Sunday in October to 03:00 NZDT on the third Sunday in March. [9]

On 30 April 2007 the government announced that it had extended the daylight saving period from 24 to 27 weeks. [17] From September 2007, daylight saving is now observed from the last Sunday in September until the first Sunday in April. From 30 April 2007, DST begins at 02:00 NZST on the last Sunday in September each year, and ends at 03:00 NZDT (or 02:00 NZST as defined in the 1974 Act) on the first Sunday in April.

New Zealand time, including DST, is used by several Antarctic bases that are supplied from New Zealand. This results in the oddity that the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station sets its clocks an hour further ahead during the southern summer, when the sun is constantly above the horizon, than in the southern winter, when the sun is constantly below the horizon. The extreme geographic position of the base means that no possible adjustment of the daily activity cycle can have any effect on the amount of sunlight received during those activities. However, the arrangement presumably makes real time communications with New Zealand more practical, particularly in dealing with offices.

The other countries in the Realm of New Zealand – Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau – do not maintain DST. Two of them are on the other side of the International Date Line and have 22–24 hours time difference to New Zealand.

The following table lists recent and near future starting and ending dates of daylight saving time in the main islands of New Zealand:

YearEndStart
20223 April25 September
20232 April24 September
20247 April29 September
20256 April28 September
20265 April27 September
20274 April26 September

Standards

New Zealand standard time is maintained by the Measurement Standards Laboratory (MSL), part of New Zealand Government. New Zealand standard time is based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC is kept within 200 nanoseconds of the international atomic time scale maintained by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris. [11]

It is disseminated by various means, including time pips broadcast on Radio New Zealand, [18] speaking clock and Network Time Protocol. [19]

Dependencies and associated states

Time zoneStandard timeDaylight time
Tokelau UTC+13:00
Cook Islands UTC−10:00
Niue UTC−11:00
Ross Dependency UTC+12:00 UTC+13:00

There are two associated states of New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean, both on the other side of the International Date Line:

The New Zealand dependency of Tokelau is in the UTC+13:00 time zone [20] or Military M' (Mike Prime) [1] and does not observe daylight saving time. Clocks in Tokelau are set to the same time as or 1 hour ahead of New Zealand: at noon on Thursday in New Zealand, it is 12:00 or 13:00 on Thursday in Tokelau.

The Ross Dependency, McMurdo Station and Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica maintain NZST/NZDT. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time zone</span> Area that observes a uniform standard time

A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it is convenient for areas in frequent communication to keep the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western European Summer Time</span> Time zone (UTC+01:00)

Western European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Time Zone</span> Time zone in North America

The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and some Caribbean islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Time Zone</span> Time zone in North America

The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Time Zone</span> North American time zone

The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−08:00). During daylight saving time, a time offset of UTC−07:00 is used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Time Zone</span> Time zone in Alaska

The Alaska Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting nine hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−09:00). During daylight saving time its time offset is eight hours (UTC−08:00). The clock time in this zone is based on mean solar time at the 135th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in the United States</span> Time zones in the U.S.

In the United States, time is divided into nine standard time zones covering the states, territories and other US possessions, with most of the country observing daylight saving time (DST) for approximately the spring, summer, and fall months. The time zone boundaries and DST observance are regulated by the Department of Transportation, but no single map of those existed until the agency announced intentions to make one in September 2022. Official and highly precise timekeeping services (clocks) are provided by two federal agencies: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ; and the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). The clocks run by these services are kept synchronized with each other as well as with those of other international timekeeping organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer time in Europe</span> Variation of standard clock time

Summer time in Europe is the variation of standard clock time that is applied in most European countries in the period between spring and autumn, during which clocks are advanced by one hour from the time observed in the rest of the year, with a view to making the most efficient use of seasonal daylight. It corresponds to the notion and practice of daylight saving time (DST) to be found in some other parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow Time</span> Time zone in western Russia (UTC+3)

Moscow Time is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia, and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second-westernmost of the eleven time zones of Russia. It has been set to UTC+03:00 without DST since 26 October 2014; before that date it had been set to UTC+04:00 year-round on 27 March 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfoundland Time Zone</span> Time zone in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Newfoundland Time Zone (NT) is a geographic region that keeps time by subtracting 3.5 hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) during standard time, resulting in UTC−03:30; or subtracting 2.5 hours during daylight saving time. The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the meridian 52 degrees and 30 arcminutes west of the Greenwich Observatory. It is observed solely in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland Time Zone is the only active time zone with a half-hour offset from UTC in the Americas.

The Yukon Time Zone was a formerly observed time zone that kept standard time; Yukon Standard Time (YST) was obtained by subtracting nine hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) resulting in UTC−09:00. Yukon Daylight Time (YDT) when observed was eight hours behind UTC. In 1983 the UTC−09:00 based time zone was restructured, and it was renamed the Alaska Time Zone in 1984. Yukon currently observes Mountain Time and does not observe daylight-saving time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC+03:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of +3

UTC+03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03:00. In areas using this time offset, the time is three hours ahead of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Following the ISO 8601 standard, a time with this offset would be written as, for example, 2019-02-08T23:36:06+03:00.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC+13:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of +13

UTC+13:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +13:00. Because it does not contain any land in the Northern Hemisphere, this time zone is exclusive to the Southern Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in Australia</span>

Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Eastern Standard Time, Australian Central Standard Time and Australian Western Standard Time.

The Chatham Standard Time Zone is a time zone twelve hours and forty-five minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) resulting in UTC+12:45. It is used exclusively in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. It is one of three time zones with a 45-minute offset from UTC, the others being Nepal Standard Time (UTC+05:45) and the unofficial Australian Central Western Time (UTC+08:45).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC+11:30</span> Former time zone

UTC+11:30 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +11:30.

Parts of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji are areas of Oceania that currently observe daylight saving time (DST).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in Portugal</span>

Portugal has two time zones and observes daylight saving time. Continental Portugal and Madeira use UTC+00:00, while the Azores use UTC–01:00. Daylight saving time is observed nationwide from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, when continental Portugal and Madeira advance one hour to UTC+01:00, and the Azores advances one hour to UTC+00:00.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daylight saving time by country</span>

Daylight saving time (DST), also known as summer time, is the practice of advancing clocks during part of the year, typically by one hour around spring and summer, so that daylight ends at a later time of the day. As of 2024, DST is observed in most of Europe, most of North America and parts of Africa and Asia around the Northern Hemisphere summer, and in parts of South America and Oceania around the Southern Hemisphere summer. It was also formerly observed in other areas.

Time in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is denoted by Central European Time during the winter as standard time in the Netherlands, which is one hour ahead of coordinated universal time (UTC+01:00), and Central European Summer Time (CEST) during the summer as daylight saving time, which is two hours ahead of coordinated universal time (UTC+02:00). The Caribbean Netherlands – which consist of the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba – all observe Atlantic Standard Time (AST) year-round, which is four hours behind coordinated universal time (UTC−04:00).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Military time zone chart of the World". worldtimezone.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Time Act 1974". New Zealand Legislation. 30 March 1987. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "New Zealand Daylight Time Order 2007 (SR 2007/185) (as at 06 July 2007) – New Zealand Legislation". legislation.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Biswell, Shelly Farr; Nester, Richard (November–December 2007). "Time". New Zealand Geographic. 88.
  5. ↑ King, Thomas (1902). "On New Zealand Mean Time, and on the Longitude of the Colonial Observatory, Wellington; with a Note on the Universal Time Question". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 35: 428–451.
  6. ↑ "Evening Post — 8 April 1929 — OUR TIME". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2011. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute (1868). Vol. 1. May 1869. p. 48.
  8. ↑ "Daylight Saving Extension Proposal - Saving electric power". Gisborne Herald. Vol. LXVIII, no. 20502. 12 March 1941. p. 11.
  9. 1 2 "Daylight Saving History". dia.govt.nz. The Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Standard Time Act 1945 (9 GEO VI 1945 No 15)". nzlii.org. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  11. 1 2 "COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME (UTC) (CCTF/09-32)" (PDF). Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. p. 3. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Time Act 1974 No 39 (as at 30 March 1987), Public Act Contents – New Zealand Legislation". legislation.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  13. ↑ "Tokelau to follow Samoa on dateline switch". Radio New Zealand International . 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  14. ↑ Olssen, Erik (1996). "Sidey, Thomas Kay". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. 1 2 Pearce, Chris (6 April 2017). The Great Daylight Saving Time Controversy. Australian eBook Publisher. ISBN   9781925516968 . Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  16. 1 2 "Ararua time". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  17. ↑ "Daylight Saving". The Department of Internal Affairs. 3 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "Radio New Zealand's pips are being fixed". Radio New Zealand. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  19. ↑ "Time and Frequency Standards Services". Measurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand. MSL. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  20. ↑ Tokelau in wrong time zone?, Time zone database.
  21. ↑ "Time Zones in Antarctica" . Retrieved 4 May 2017.
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