New Zealand operates on New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) during winter months, which is 12 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+12). During daylight saving time, observed from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April, New Zealand switches to New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT), which is UTC+13.
Major cities including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Hamilton all follow the same timezone. The Chatham Islands, located about 800 km east of the mainland, observe their own timezone (UTC+12:45/UTC+13:45), which is 45 minutes ahead of the rest of New Zealand.
New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to see the sunrise each day. The country was also the first to adopt a national standard time in 1868, setting it 11 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT. New Zealand is home to more sheep than people, with a ratio of about 5 sheep per person.