It’s that time of year again, with New Zealanders set to lose an hour of sleep tonight as daylight saving begins for another year.
Clocks will move forward by one hour at 2am on Sunday, September 27, becoming 3am.
While that means one less hour in bed, the change brings more daylight into the evenings as the country heads towards summer.
A handy way to remember which direction the clocks move is “spring forward, fall back”.
We're about to lose an hour of sleep and the twice-yearly ritual of changing our clocks has a surprisingly strange history, reports Mava Moayyed. (Source: 1News)
What happens on daylight saving, and why?
Daylight saving begins at 2am on the last Sunday of September each year, when the clocks move forward by an hour to give us more evening light.
It ends each year at 3am on the first Sunday of April when the clocks move back an hour, giving New Zealand 27 weeks of daylight saving.
The annual event was first formally observed in New Zealand in 1927, when entomologist George Hudson proposed shifting the clocks forward by an hour to have more daylight.
Daylight saving was later stopped before being reintroduced in the 1970s amid the global energy crisis, when longer summer evenings were seen as a way of reducing electricity use.
The daylight saving period has been extended several times since, with the current dates in place since 2007.
Changing the clocks has long been the subject of debate around the world, including over the potential impacts on sleep and human health.
This year’s daylight saving period will run until Sunday, April 4, when clocks will move back by one hour at 3am — meaning an extra hour of sleep.
Do I need to change my clocks?
Most smartphones, computers and and other connected devices should update the time automatically, although it is worth checking their settings to make sure.
For Android users: Go to Settings, System, Date & Time, then make sure it has Set Automatically switched on.
For iPhone users: Go to Settings, General, Date & Time, then make sure Set Automatically is toggled on.
Clocks on appliances, watches, in cars and other areas will likely need to be manually changed.
A reminder for smoke alarm safety
Fire and Emergency NZ is encouraging people to use the clock change as a reminder to check their smoke alarms - particularly ones belonging to older relatives, friends and neighbours.
FENZ community education manager Tom Ronaldson said every second person who died in a fire is aged over 60, with the number of fatal fires involving people in that age group increasing over the past five years.
"People only have around three minutes to get out before a house fire becomes unsurvivable," Ronaldson said.
"To give yourself and your older family and friends the earliest possible warning, you need working smoke alarms installed in every bedroom, hallway and living area.
Ronaldson said people should also check the age of their smoke alarms, which should be replaced after 10 years.
"We often see homes which have smoke alarms installed but they are well past their use by date so won’t be at their best," he said.
"Checking alarms is easy - remove them from the base plate and check their manufacture and/or expiration on the bottom of the alarm."
FENZ recommended installing long-life photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom, living room and hallway.
Donaldson said checking smoke alarms was also a good opportunity for households to ensure they have two clear escape routes and an agreed safe meeting place.
SHARE ME