Time Zones in New Zealand
New Zealand spans one time zone (UTC+12) among the 3 cities tracked on Live Time Map. All of them observe daylight saving time. See the live local time for each city below, or use the interactive map to compare any of them against your own location.
New Zealand facts
- Currency
- New Zealand dollar (NZD)
- Languages
- English, Māori
- Calling code
- +64
- Time zones on this site
- 1
Clock time and solar time in New Zealand
A country's clocks are a political choice, not an astronomical one, so they rarely line up with its own sun. Measured against local solar time, the clock in Christchurch runs 29 minutes ahead of the sun.
Solar noon there falls 29 minutes after 12:00 on the clock.
How much daylight changes through the year
Daylight is governed by latitude, not by the clock. Christchurch, at 43.5° south, gets 15 hours 26 minutes of daylight on the longest day of the year and 8 hours 56 minutes on the shortest.
Auckland, at 36.8° south, gets 14 hours 41 minutes of daylight on the longest day of the year and 9 hours 38 minutes on the shortest. So the annual swing between longest and shortest day is 6 hours 29 minutes in Christchurch against 5 hours 3 minutes in Auckland, within the same country.
Cities in New Zealand
Want to compare a city here against your own location? Open the interactive world time zone map to pin it live.
Frequently asked questions
How many time zones does New Zealand have?
New Zealand uses a single time zone among the cities tracked here: UTC+12.
Does New Zealand observe daylight saving time?
Yes, the cities tracked here all observe daylight saving time.
Do clocks in New Zealand match the sun?
Clocks and the sun are not the same thing. In Christchurch the clock runs 29 minutes ahead of local solar time, so midday on the clock is not the moment the sun is highest.
How much does daylight change through the year in New Zealand?
In Christchurch, the longest day of the year has 15 hours 26 minutes of daylight and the shortest has 8 hours 56 minutes.