The following time
change information has been gleaned from a number of sources. When I embarked
on this project I had planned merely to reprint the Time Changes information
published in "The Journal of the Seasons" Vol 2 1975, an article compiled
by Mrs. M Graham, D.F.Astrol.S, and then update that to the present time.
But then I decided (and there have been many times during the past few
months that I have regretted this time consuming and frustrating decision!)
to search public records and confirm the dates and times printed in the
1975 article. (I hasten to add here that Mrs. Graham's research to 1975
has proved to be correct.)
What follows is an updated
list to the present time as well as some background information on time
and time changes in New Zealand that I have come across during my super
sleuthing over the past few months. My sources have included: the library
at the High Court Auckland (with grateful thanks to Janet Wills, Librarian,
for tracking down the many relevant statutes and parliamentary acts), the
Auckland Public Library, the Dept. of Internal Affairs, DSIR, Carter Observatory
and, last but not least fellow astrologers who have sent me copies of relevant
articles they have collected over the years.
In the earliest days of European
settlement in New Zealand each of the fledgling settlements effectively
kept its own time - with up to 50 minutes variation between one part of
the colony and another. Each locality kept time 12 hours ahead of Greenwich
mean time (GMT) but because local time calculations were based on the meridian
(noon, or when the Sun is highest in the sky) and New Zealand spreads over
12 degrees of longitude there was inevitably variation.
On 2 November 1868, New Zealand
officially adopted a standard time to be observed nationally, and was perhaps
the first country to do so. It was based on the approximate mean longitude
of the islands of New Zealand, 172 degrees 30 minutes East of Greenwich,
that is, 11 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich mean time. This standard
was known as New Zealand Mean Time, and was observed until 1927
when the clocks were advanced one hour for the summer period (NewZealand
Summer Time) from the 1st Sunday in November to the 1st Sunday in March:
The
Summer Time Act 1927. This daylight-saving measure was not well received
and in the following year the advance was reduced to half an hour from
the 2nd Sunday in October to the 3rd Sunday in March.
By The Summer Time Amendment
Act 1933, the period of summer time was extended from the last Sunday
in September to the last Sunday in April, commencing in 1934.
During the Second World War
the clocks in New Zealand were not put back for the winter and the 1/2
hour advance was continued for the duration of the War. Since this was
equivalent to adopting a new standard time meridian, the position was made
permanent, effective from 1 January 1946, by the Standard Time Act 1945
in effect changing what was formerly known as New Zealand summer time to
New
Zealand Standard Time. New Zealand Standard Time is defined in the
Act as the time corresponding to the longitude of 180° east of Greenwich,
being 12 hours in advance of Greenwich mean time. This continued unchanged
until 1974.
The Time Act 1974 empowered
the Governor-General to declare a period during which daylight time is
to be observed by Order in Council, fixed as a one hour advance on New
Zealand standard time and known as New Zealand Daylight Time. This
corresponds to a longitude of 195° East of Greenwich that is 13 hours
ahead of Greenwich mean time.
The public response to a
trial period of daylight time, from the first Sunday in November 1974 to
the last Sunday in February 1975, was generally favourable. Subsequently
the New Zealand Time Order 1975 fixed the period of observance
from the last Sunday in October each year to the 1st Sunday in March of
the following year.
As a consequence of a survey
conducted in 1985, after 10 years of experience with daylight time, a trial
period of extended daylight time was held in 1989/90 from the 2nd Sunday
in October to the 3rd Sunday in March. Again the public response was generally
favourable and a new Daylight Time Order 1990 declared that daylight
time would commence at 2.00am New Zealand standard time on the 1st Sunday
of October in each year and ceasing at 2.00 am New Zealand standard time
on the 3rd Sunday in March the following year. This period of daylight
time has continued each year to the present time.
THE CHATHAM ISLANDS
First mention of the Chatham
Islands (850km east of Christchurch) was made in the Standard Time Amendment
Act 1956 which states that "The time for general purposes in the
Chatham Islands shall be forty-five minutes in advance of NZ standard time".
This Act is effective from 1 January 1957. The Time Act 1974 defines
daylight time in the Chatham Islands as being 1 hour 45 minutes in advance
of New Zealand standard time.
SUMMER
TIME/DAYLIGHT TIME IN NEW ZEALAND
Advanced
1 hour on NZ Mean Time
1927.........06 Nov......
2:00am...... to.......04 Mar 1928......2:00am.........12h 30m
Advanced
1/2 hour
1928.........14 Oct......
2:00am...... to.......17 Mar 1929...... 2:00am.........12 h 00m
1929........ 13 Oct ......2:00am......
to...... 16 Mar 1930...... 2:00am
1930 ........12 Oct ......2:00am
......to ......15 Mar 1931...... 2:00am
1931 ........11 Oct ......2:00am
......to ......20 Mar 1932 ......2:00am
1932 ........09 Oct ......2:00am
......to ......19 Mar 1933 ......2:00am
1933 ........08 Oct ......2:00am
......to ......29 Apr 1934 .......2:00am
1934 ........30 Sep ......2:00am
......to ......28 Apr 1935 .......2:00am
1935 ........29 Sep ......2:00am
......to ......26 Apr 1936 .......2:00am
1936 ........27 Sep ......2:00am
......to ......25 Apr 1937 .......2:00am
1937 ........26 Sep ......2:00am
......to ......24 Apr 1938 .......2:00am
1938 ........25 Sep ......2:00am
......to ......30 Apr 1939 .......2:00am
1939 ........24 Sep ......2:00am
......to ......28 Apr 1940 .......2:00am .........12h 00m
1940 ........29 Sep ......2:00am
......to ....continued as "New
Zealand Standard Time"
( ie, - 12 hours) until...
"New
Zealand Daylight Time" advanced 1 hour on New Zealand Standard Time
1974 ........03 Nov ......2:00am
.....to ......23 Feb 1975 .......2:00am .........13h 00m
1975 ........26 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......07 Mar 1976 .......2:00am
1976 ........31 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......06 Mar 1977 .......2:00am
1977 ........30 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......05 Mar 1978 .......2:00am
1978 ........29 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......04 Mar 1979 .......2:00am
1979 ........28 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......02 Mar 1980 .......2:00am
1980 ........26 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......01 Mar 1981 .......2:00am
1981 ........25 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......07 Mar 1982 .......2:00am
1982 ........31 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......06 Mar 1983 .......2:00am
1983 ........30 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......04 Mar 1984 .......2:00am
1984 ........28 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......03 Mar 1985 .......2:00am
1985 ........27 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......02 Mar 1986 .......2:00am
1986 ........26 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......01 Mar 1987 .......2:00am
1987 ........25 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......06 Mar 1988 .......2:00am
1988 ........30 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......05 Mar 1989 .......2:00am
1989 ........08 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......18 Mar 1990 .......2:00am
1990 ........07 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......17 Mar 1991 .......2:00am
1991 ........06 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......15 Mar 1992 .......2:00am
1992 ........04 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......21 Mar 1993 .......2:00am
1993 ........03 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......20 Mar 1994 .......2:00am
1994 ........02 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......19 Mar 1995 .......2:00am
1995 ........01 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......17 Mar 1996 .......2:00am
1996 ........06 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......16 Mar 1997 .......2:00am
1997 ........05 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......15 Mar 1998 .......2:00am
1998 ........04 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......21 Mar 1999 .......2:00am
1999 ........03 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......19 Mar 2000 .......2:00am
Assuming
New Zealand will continue to observe the current daylight time conditions
the following is a projection to the year 2005:
2000 ........01 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......18 Mar 2001 .......2:00am .........13h 00m
2001 ........07 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......17 Mar 2002 .......2:00am
2002 ........06 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......16 Mar 2003 .......2:00am
2003 ........05 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......21 Mar 2004 .......2:00am
2004 ........03 Oct .......2:00am
.....to ......20 Mar 2005 .......2:00am
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