Chatham, New Zealand Β· UTC+13:45
Convert time from Chatham
Chatham is in the Chatham Islands Time timezone (Pacific/Chatham, UTC+12:45 winter / UTC+13:45 summer). It holds the worldβs most easterly inhabited timezone, with a rare 45-minute offset.
The Chatham Islands are a New Zealand territory sitting in the Pacific Ocean about 800 kilometers east of South Island. They run on Pacific/Chatham: UTC+12:45 in winter, UTC+13:45 in summer when New Zealand observes DST. The 45-minute offset from the UTC base is shared with only one other timezone in the world: Nepal at UTC+5:45.
Chathamβs unusual offset has a practical origin: the islands are geographically close to the International Date Line but separated from New Zealandβs main islands, which use UTC+12 in winter. Rather than creating a one-hour or half-hour offset, New Zealand gave the Chathams a 45-minute buffer to distinguish them while keeping them reasonably aligned with mainland New Zealand time (45 minutes ahead, roughly corresponding to their eastern longitude).
The most easterly people on Earth
The Chatham Islands are among the most easterly permanently inhabited places on Earth. At roughly 176 degrees west longitude, they are very close to the 180th meridian (the International Date Line). This means when New Zealand is experiencing a new day, the Chathams are already 45 minutes into it.
The islands were the last significant land area settled by Polynesian peoples. The Moriori people arrived around 1500 CE and developed a pacifist culture based on the islandβs isolation and limited resources. In 1835, MΔori groups from mainland New Zealand arrived and, using European weapons, subjugated the Moriori population in a devastating conquest.
Fishing and farming on island time
About 700 people live on the Chatham Islands. The economy runs on fishing (crayfish, paua, and blue cod are the primary catches) and sheep farming. The fishing calendar is dictated by seasonal patterns, weather windows, and species-specific regulations. Supply ships from mainland New Zealand arrive periodically, and their schedules define resupply rhythms.
The time conversion from Chatham to London puts London 12 hours and 45 minutes behind in winter. Christchurch in New Zealand uses UTC+12 in winter.
Sources
Read more about time in New Zealand →Compare Chatham with
Questions about time in Chatham
- What timezone is Chatham in?
- Chatham uses the IANA timezone
Pacific/Chatham. The UTC offset is UTC+12:45 in winter (standard time) and UTC+13:45 during daylight saving time (summer). - Does Chatham observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. Chatham observes daylight saving time. In 2026, clocks spring forward one hour on Sunday, September 27 and fall back one hour on Sunday, April 5. During DST, the UTC offset shifts from UTC+12:45 to UTC+13:45.
- What is the current UTC offset for Chatham?
- Chatham is currently at UTC+13:45. It is currently observing daylight saving time.
- What is the time difference between Chatham and New York?
- Chatham is currently 17 hours 45 minutes ahead of New York.
- What is the time difference between Chatham and London?
- Chatham is currently 12 hours 45 minutes ahead of London.
- What is the time difference between Chatham and Los Angeles?
- Chatham is currently 20 hours 45 minutes ahead of Los Angeles.
- What is the time difference between Chatham and Tokyo?
- Chatham is currently 4 hours 45 minutes ahead of Tokyo. Tokyo does not observe daylight saving time, so this gap changes by 1 hour when Chatham transitions to/from DST.
- What is the IANA timezone name for Chatham?
- The IANA timezone database identifier for Chatham is
Pacific/Chatham. Use this string in programming languages and APIs: JavaScript (`new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', { timeZone: 'Pacific/Chatham' })`), Python (`pytz.timezone('Pacific/Chatham')`), or any IANA-compatible library.