Clocks go back an hour at 3 am
Staff Reporter (Indian Newslink)
Auckland, April 2, 2020
New Zealanders will put their clocks forward by one hour at 3 am on Sunday, April 5, 2020 as daylight saving ends and the country prepares for winter.
An Internal Affairs Department notification said that people may find it convenient to put their clocks back by one hour before going to bed on Saturday, March 4, 2020.
Seamless transition
“As well as changing clocks, the end of Daylight Saving is a good opportunity to check household emergency plans, survival items and home smoke alarms,” the notification said.
“Daylight Saving runs from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April. This year Daylight Saving will begin again on September 27, 2020,” it added.
Further information is available here.
Many New Zealanders will experience a seamless transition, with modern electronic devices adjusting automatically. However, less modern devices may need to be adjusted manually.
While adjusting your clocks and other devices, it is also a good time to check your emergency plans, survival kits and smoke alarms.
Background information
Daylight saving was introduced in 1927, however the dates and times were changed several times over the following years.
During the mid-1940s, New Zealand Standard Time was advanced permanently by half an hour, and daylight saving time was effectively discontinued. This practice was followed until 1974, when an advance of one hour in summer was reintroduced.
Protest over change
Dairy farmers were up in arms over the idea of having to milk cows in the dark, and parents with young children worried about getting them to sleep while it was still light.
The small Northland town of Ararua, home to many dairy farmers, went so far as to ignore the new time when the rest of New Zealand switched to daylight saving time.
Majority approval
A Survey conducted in 2008 found that 82% of New Zealanders approved of the 2007 extension to the period of Daylight saving time.
The rationale for changing the time over the summer months is that more sunlight hours will fall in the early morning if standard time is applied year round.
In Summer, these early morning sunlight hours are seen as being wasted as many people are asleep at that time. If the sunlight hours are shifted to the evening, by way of daylight saving time, they are more useful.
