New Zealand Time Zones

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.

This page shows live clocks only; it does not include a time zone map image.

What do New Zealand’s time zones cover?

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

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

Standard: UTC+12:00 (NZST) | Daylight: UTC+13:00 (NZDT).
Covers the North and South Islands—including major cities such as 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 (535 Miles) east of the South Island. Always 45 minutes ahead of Wellington. Example on this page: Chatham Islands.

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—both on standard time and on daylight time. That half-step offset is easy to miss when you only convert whole hours.

Against Australia’s east coast, Auckland is usually two hours ahead of Sydney when both follow the same DST state. The gap briefly becomes three hours in late September / early October (when New Zealand has already sprung forward and New South Wales has not) and one hour in early April (when New Zealand has already fallen back and New South Wales is still on daylight time). Comparing Auckland with Brisbane (Queensland does not observe DST and remains on AEST year-round) also changes the gap with New Zealand’s seasons.

Against the U.S. West Coast, a morning slot in Los Angeles usually lands early the next calendar day in Auckland; the exact hour shifts with Pacific and New Zealand DST on different calendars.

For overseas meetings, use New Zealand ↔ Regional Compare above to line up Australian or U.S. zones next to Wellington. You can also open seasonal tables in New Zealand vs U.S. meeting times, compare southern DST seasons on Australia time zones, check the U.S. time zone page, or plan several cities in the World Meeting Planner.

Who sets New Zealand’s time zones?

New Zealand’s legal time is set by national law (notably the Time Act 1974 and subsequent 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.

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—which is 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 does this page get its time data?

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).