New Zealand Current Time & Time Zone & Time Zone Map

How many time zones does New Zealand have?

New Zealand has two official time zones: New Zealand Standard/Daylight Time (NZST/NZDT) for the North and South Islands, and Chatham Islands Standard/Daylight Time (CHAST/CHADT) for the Chatham Islands. The Chathams stay 45 minutes ahead of the mainland all year.

This page shows two live cards for those zones, with example places Wellington and the Chatham Islands. Both zones observe Daylight Saving Time on the same calendar dates.

Some associated territories (such as Tokelau, the Cook Islands, or Niue) use different offsets and are not shown on these cards.

What do New Zealand’s time zones cover?

Below are the two zones on our map, with their UTC offsets and the IANA identifiers used by the clocks on this page.

Wellington / mainland time (IANA ID: Pacific/Auckland)

Standard: UTC+12:00 (NZST) | Daylight: UTC+13:00 (NZDT).
Covers the North and South Islands—including Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and Hamilton. Example city on this page: Wellington.

Chatham Islands Time (IANA ID: Pacific/Chatham)

Standard: UTC+12:45 (CHAST) | Daylight: UTC+13:45 (CHADT).
Covers the Chatham Islands, about 860 km east of the South Island. Always 45 minutes ahead of Wellington. Example on this page: Chatham Islands.

Who sets New Zealand’s time zones?

New Zealand’s legal time is set by national law (notably the Time Act 1974 and later daylight-time orders), not by each region inventing its own clock. The government defines NZST/NZDT for the main islands and the Chatham offset, plus when Daylight Saving Time starts and ends.

That is why Wellington and the Chathams always keep the same 45-minute gap, even when both spring forward or fall back for DST.

How does Daylight Saving Time work in New Zealand?

Both mainland New Zealand and the Chatham Islands observe DST. Clocks spring forward one hour on the last Sunday in September at 2:00 a.m. local standard time (they jump to 3:00 a.m.). Clocks fall back one hour on the first Sunday in April at 3:00 a.m. local daylight time (back to 2:00 a.m.).

During DST, abbreviations switch from NZST to NZDT on the mainland, and from CHAST to CHADT on the Chathams. The current longer season (late September to early April) has been in place since 2007.

Southern Hemisphere note: New Zealand’s seasons are the opposite of North America and Europe. NZ DST runs through the southern summer—roughly September to April—so when the U.S. or Europe is on standard (“winter”) time, New Zealand may still be on daylight time, and the reverse is true around the northern summer. Australia’s DST states follow a similar southern pattern; see our Australia time zone page.

What is the time difference across New Zealand?

Relative to Wellington (Pacific/Auckland), the Chatham Islands are always 45 minutes ahead—whether both places are on standard time or both are on daylight time.

For cities outside New Zealand, use New Zealand ↔ Regional Compare above to line up the United States, Europe, Asia, or Australia next to New Zealand’s zones, with a live converter against Wellington. You can also try our World Meeting Planner or Time Zone Converter.

A brief history of New Zealand’s time zones

New Zealand was an early adopter of standard time in the late 19th century, helping ships, railways, and telegraph keep a shared clock. The Chatham Islands kept a separate offset that better matches local solar time—today fixed at 45 minutes ahead of the mainland.

Daylight Saving Time has been used in various forms since the early 20th century. The modern framework comes from the Time Act 1974; DST dates were extended in 2007 to run from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April.

Where this page’s time data comes from

The clocks and zone labels on this page follow the IANA Time Zone Database: Pacific/Auckland for mainland New Zealand and Pacific/Chatham for the Chatham Islands. Both change with Daylight Saving Time on the New Zealand schedule. For a broader overview, see Time in New Zealand (opens in new tab).