Oceania · Australia and New Zealand · Sovereign state
Current time in New Zealand
A single time zone at UTC+13:00. Currently observing daylight saving time.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About New Zealand's time
A single time zone.
New Zealand spans 2 time zones, both observing daylight saving. Mainland New Zealand uses UTC+12:00 in standard time, while the Chatham Islands are 45 minutes ahead at UTC+12:45.
Next clock change
2027 Saturday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · in 6 months.
Daylight saving schedule
By time zone
Time zones of New Zealand.
1 time zones
Remote territories & research stations
Major cities
Cities of New Zealand.
Territories & dependencies
The Republic, around the world.
History
How New Zealand keeps time.
New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to adopt time zones. On November 2, 1868, it set a standardized national time, 11.5 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, based on the meridian of 172°30′ East.
New Zealand first used summer time in 1927. During World War II, summer time was kept all year, and in 1946 the wartime UTC+12:00 became standard time. Modern daylight saving time began in 1974, and the current schedule—clocks forward on the last Sunday in September and back on the first Sunday in April—has applied since 2007.
The Chatham Islands, located about 800 km east of mainland New Zealand, have their own timezone at UTC+12:45, making it one of the few places in the world with a 45-minute offset from UTC. This was formalized to better match the solar time of the islands.
Did you know?
Things about New Zealand's time.
New Zealand is one of the first countries to see each new day, thanks to its position near the International Date Line. During New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT), the country jumps to UTC+13:00, making it one of the farthest ahead timezones on Earth at that time.
The Chatham Islands' UTC+12:45 offset is one of only a handful of timezones worldwide that use a 45-minute increment from UTC. This makes scheduling a bit unusual for anyone coordinating with the islands.
New Zealand's territories add further complexity: Tokelau skipped an entire day by jumping across the International Date Line in 2011, moving from UTC-11 to UTC+13 to align better timezone-wise with New Zealand. The Cook Islands use UTC-10, and Niue uses UTC-11, neither observing daylight saving. This puts New Zealand and its associated territories almost 24 hours apart, which can be surprising for travelers.
Convert
New Zealand to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about New Zealand's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- How many time zones does New Zealand have?
- New Zealand has 2 time zones: NZST/NZDT for the mainland (UTC+12:00/+13:00) and CHAST/CHADT for the Chatham Islands (UTC+12:45/+13:45). Additionally, its territories Tokelau (+13), Cook Islands (-10), and Niue (-11) operate on their own times.
- When does daylight saving time start and end in New Zealand?
- New Zealand observes daylight saving from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April. Clocks go forward one hour to NZDT (UTC+13:00) in spring and back to NZST (UTC+12:00) in autumn.
- Why are the Chatham Islands 45 minutes ahead of mainland New Zealand?
- The Chatham Islands are significantly east of the mainland (about 800 km). The 45-minute offset was established to better align clock time with solar time on the islands, as they are too far east for the mainland's timezone to be a good fit.
- Is New Zealand one of the first places to see a new day?
- Yes. During NZDT (UTC+13:00), New Zealand is among the first populated places on Earth to greet each new day, along with a few other UTC+13/+14 regions. Tokelau, a New Zealand territory at UTC+13:00 year-round, shares this distinction.
- How do New Zealand's territories affect timezone planning?
- Tokelau is on UTC+13 with no daylight saving, the Cook Islands are on UTC-10 (same as Hawaii), and Niue is on UTC-11. This means a "New Zealand" call could span almost 24 hours when including all territories. Tokelau is actually one hour ahead of mainland NZ during NZST.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
Free · Developer API
This country, as JSON.
Its default time zone, zone and city counts and DST summary, from one endpoint.
Also in the API: time zones by coordinates, conversions that flag daylight saving gaps, and abbreviations decoded.
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