Current Local Time in Christchurch
New Zealand Pacific/Auckland NZST UTC+12 Standard time
11:30:00 PM
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Nighttime UTC+12 (+12:00)
Static values shown for ; your browser updates them to the current second.
UTC offset now
UTC+12
UTC+12 standard / UTC+13 summer
Abbreviation
NZST
NZST / NZDT
Daylight saving
Standard time
Next change September 27, 2026
IANA time zone
Pacific/Auckland
New Zealand · Oceania
Christchurch time zone
Christchurch moves its clocks twice a year, so no single offset describes it. It runs UTC+12 as NZST in winter and UTC+13 as NZDT in summer. In 2026 the switch to NZDT happens on September 27, 2026 and the return to NZST on April 5, 2026.
- IANA time zone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Offset in standard time
- UTC+12 (NZST)
- Offset in daylight saving time
- UTC+13 (NZDT)
- Daylight saving starts (2026)
- September 27, 2026 at 03:00
- Daylight saving ends (2026)
- April 5, 2026 at 02:00
- Most recent clock change
- April 5, 2026 — clocks go back 1 hour, from 03:00 NZDT to 02:00 NZST
- Next clock change
- September 27, 2026 — clocks go forward 1 hour, from 02:00 NZST to 03:00 NZDT
- When it is 12:00 UTC
- 1:00 AM in January · 12:00 AM in July
Clock changes in Christchurch, 2026–2028
Full record for Christchurch → ten years back and ten forward, with each year's DST window.
| Date | Change | Local time | Offset after | Then called |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5, 2026 | Back 60 min | 02:59 → 02:00 | UTC+12:00 | NZST (standard) |
| September 27, 2026 | Forward 60 min | 01:59 → 03:00 | UTC+13:00 | NZDT (DST) |
| April 4, 2027 | Back 60 min | 02:59 → 02:00 | UTC+12:00 | NZST (standard) |
| September 26, 2027 | Forward 60 min | 01:59 → 03:00 | UTC+13:00 | NZDT (DST) |
| April 2, 2028 | Back 60 min | 02:59 → 02:00 | UTC+12:00 | NZST (standard) |
| September 24, 2028 | Forward 60 min | 01:59 → 03:00 | UTC+13:00 | NZDT (DST) |
Sun and moon in Christchurch
Computed for -43.5321°, 172.6362° on August 2, 2026.
Sunrise
7:41 AM
Sunset
5:29 PM
Day length
9h 48m
+2m 12s vs yesterday
Solar noon
12:35 PM
Sun at its highest
| Phase | Morning | Evening | Sun's altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astronomical twilight | 6:02 AM | 7:08 PM | −18° to −12° |
| Nautical twilight | 6:36 AM | 6:34 PM | −12° to −6° |
| Civil twilight | 7:11 AM | 6:00 PM | −6° to −0.833° |
| Sunrise / sunset | 7:41 AM | 5:29 PM | −0.833° (upper limb at the horizon) |
Across 2026, daylight in Christchurch runs from about 8h 56m at the shortest day to 15h 26m at the longest.
Moon
Waning gibbous
80% illuminated · 19.1 days into the cycle · waning
- Moonrise
- 9:18 PM
- Moonset
- 9:11 AM
- Next full moon
- Aug 28, 4:19 PM
- Next new moon
- Aug 13, 5:38 AM
Sun and moon figures are computed locally from standard astronomical series (NOAA solar equations and Meeus' lunar terms) — accurate to about a minute at mid latitudes, and less near the poles where the sun crosses the horizon at a shallow angle.
Weather in Christchurch
Loading current weather for Christchurch.
Current weather for Christchurch is unavailable right now. Everything else on this page — local time, time zone rules, sunrise and sunset — is computed locally and unaffected.
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Feels like
- Today's high / low
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- Humidity
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- Wind
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- Tomorrow
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Measured · source Open-Meteo · cached for 30 minutes
Time difference between Christchurch and other cities
Differences are computed from each city's own zone rules, so pairs whose clocks change on different dates show more than one value across the year.
| City | Local time | Difference | Across the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York United States | 7:30 AM | −16h | Varies: −16h / −18h / −17h |
| Sao Paulo Brazil | 8:30 AM | −15h | Varies: −16h / −15h |
| London United Kingdom | 12:30 PM | −11h | Varies: −11h / −13h / −12h |
| Tel Aviv Israel | 2:30 PM | −9h | Varies: −9h / −11h / −10h |
| Cairo Egypt | 2:30 PM | −9h | Varies: −11h / −9h / −10h |
| Mumbai India | 5:00 PM | −6:30h | Varies: −7:30h / −6:30h |
| Sydney Australia | 9:30 PM | −2h | Varies: −2h / −3h / −1h |
| Los Angeles United States | 4:30 AM | −19h | Varies: −19h / −21h / −20h |
Christchurch at a glance
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Oceania
- Coordinates
- 43.5321° S, 172.6362° E
- IANA time zone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Currency
- NZD
- Language
- English / Māori
- Usual clock notation
- 12-hour
Only fields we can source are listed; nothing on this page is estimated. Sources are in data sources .
Frequently asked questions
What time is it in Christchurch right now?
The clock at the top of this page shows the current local time in Christchurch, New Zealand, updated every second from your device's clock and converted with the Pacific/Auckland time zone rules. Christchurch currently runs at UTC+12 (NZST), and switches between UTC+12 and UTC+13 across the year.
What time zone is Christchurch in?
The IANA identifier for Christchurch is Pacific/Auckland. Its abbreviation is NZST in standard time and NZDT while daylight saving time is in force.
What is the UTC offset in Christchurch?
Christchurch has two offsets. It runs at UTC+12 during standard time and at UTC+13 during daylight saving time, which is why a single fixed offset for Christchurch is always wrong for part of the year. In 2026 the daylight saving period runs from September 27, 2026 to April 5, 2026.
Does Christchurch observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Christchurch changes its clocks twice in 2026: April 5, 2026 — clocks go back 1 hour, from 03:00 NZDT to 02:00 NZST; September 27, 2026 — clocks go forward 1 hour, from 02:00 NZST to 03:00 NZDT. Time differences with other places therefore shift during the year.
What is the time difference between Christchurch and New York?
For most of 2026, New York is 16 hours behind Christchurch. Because the two places change their clocks on different dates, the gap is 18 hours (New York behind Christchurch) from January 1 – March 8 and November 1 – January 1; the gap is 17 hours (New York behind Christchurch) from March 8 – April 5 and September 27 – November 1.
What is the time difference between Christchurch and Sao Paulo?
For most of 2026, Sao Paulo is 16 hours behind Christchurch. Because the two places change their clocks on different dates, the gap is 15 hours (Sao Paulo behind Christchurch) from April 5 – September 27.
What is the time difference between Christchurch and London?
For most of 2026, London is 11 hours behind Christchurch. Because the two places change their clocks on different dates, the gap is 13 hours (London behind Christchurch) from January 1 – March 29 and October 25 – January 1; the gap is 12 hours (London behind Christchurch) from March 29 – April 5 and September 27 – October 25.
How long is the day in Christchurch?
Day length in Christchurch ranges from about 8h 56m at the shortest day of 2026 to about 15h 26m at the longest. The sunrise and sunset section on this page shows today's figures for latitude -43.53°, longitude 172.64°.