The mornings are getting lighter and the sun is beginning to stick around a little longer in the evenings, but Kiwis still have a while longer to wait before daylight saving begins.
Since the shortest day of the year in June, Kiwis have gained more than an hour of daylight in some parts of the country as we emerge from the depths of winter.
In recent weeks, Google searches for daylight saving have also begun to ramp up as attention turns to the biannual event — but there's still a little while to go until the clocks officially move forward.
When does daylight saving begin?
Daylight saving begins at 2am on the last Sunday of September each year and ends at 3am on the first Sunday of April.
This year, that means clocks will move forward an hour on Sunday, September 27.
New Zealand first observed daylight saving in 1927 after entomologist George Hudson proposed shifting the clocks forward more than three decades earlier. He was reportedly keen to have more daylight after work to collect insects.
Daylight saving was later stopped before being reintroduced during the global energy crisis in the 1970s, with longer summer evenings seen as a way of reducing electricity use.
The period has since been extended several times, with the current dates in place since 2007.
Are the days already getting longer?
Despite daylight saving being more than a month away, New Zealand is already seeing longer days as the Southern Hemisphere moves towards the summer solstice in December.
In Auckland, the shortest day of the year on June 21 brought about nine hours and 38 minutes of daylight, with sunrise at 7.33am and sunset at 5.11pm.
By Friday, August 21, Aucklanders enjoy almost 11 hours of daylight as the sun rises at 6.57am and sets at 5.51pm.
On September 26, the day before daylight saving begins, that will stretch beyond 12 hours, with sunrise at about 6.05am and sunset at 6.20pm.
The difference is even more pronounced further south. Dunedin had just eight hours and 39 minutes of daylight on June 21, with sunrise at 8.20am and sunset at 4.59pm.
This Friday, that increases to about 10-and-a-half hours, with sunrise at 7.28am and sunset at 5.55pm.
By September 26, Dunedin will also have more than 12 hours of daylight, with the sun rising at about 6.20am and setting at 6.39pm.
When the clocks move forward the following morning, sunrise and sunset will appear an hour later on the clock, shifting more daylight into the evening.
The debate overseas
Although changing the clocks twice a year is well established in New Zealand, several countries have debated whether the practice should continue amid concerns about potential negative health effects.
Earlier this year, the Canadian province of British Colombia made the move to permanent daylight saving time, ending the twice-yearly clock changes.
The province's premier David Eby said the change would improve people's overall health, reduce disruptions for families and avoid the "significant amount of chaos" caused by changing the clocks.
In the United States, there had also been repeated attempts to make daylight saving permanent, including through the Sunshine Protection Act which currently awaited action in the Senate.
Europe had similarly debated the biannual clock change. The European Parliament previously backed a proposal to stop changing the clocks, but an agreement on how and when to make the change was yet to be reached.
The debate had also played out in New Zealand.
Auckland University professor Guy Warman told 1News earlier this year that keeping daylight saving permanently could have negative health implications, particularly during the winter.
"If we were in summertime the whole of the year, then we wouldn’t be getting light in the morning, where it is really important to adjust our circadian clocks on a daily basis," he said.
For now, New Zealand’s system remained unchanged.
Daylight saving in New Zealand begins on Sunday, September 27 at 2am, when clocks will move forward one hour to 3am.
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