POLL: Daylight Saving – do you like the start date? | WeatherWatch - New Zealand's Weather Data & Alerts Authority

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POLL: Daylight Saving – do you like the start date?

25/09/2011 5:00am

There’s been a lot of chatter at WeatherWatch.co.nz and on our Facebook page this week with regards to Daylight Saving.

Do you like the current arrangement or do you prefer the older, later, October start date? Or perhaps you feel that we shouldn’t have it at all?

Vote in our poll below – and feel free to tell us why you voted that way by posting a comment! We look forward to hearing from you all – and if you can, post your name or online handle too, just makes it easier if conversations start to develop.

– Homepage image / File, Mahia at sunset, Dylan Tay

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Russell Cameron on 27/09/2011 1:22am

Hi,

I think that it does start at the right time and should finish in late April, after the school holidays and Easter, Anzac Day.

The weather is often much better in April than October anyway!

Thanks,

Russell

Mutti on 26/09/2011 1:40am

I don’t see any need for daylight saving at all in NZ. I can understand in places like Scotland where it is getting dark at 1600hrs that the time needs to be altered. Being a night owl I don’t see why I should have to get up an hour earlier each day. Also what about all the poor parents whose children can’t get to sleep earlier?

Guest on 26/09/2011 12:59am

It is a little too early, but at the same time i think it goes 3 weeks too long at the other end. It is getting dark by the time it finishes, and people are getting sick of it by then. I can sympathise with the farmers, and parents with young children, having been there at one time. Our children had to catch a school bus at 7 am, being in the country, which in fact was the equivalent of 6 am old time, and to get them to bed at night in daylight was ridiculous. I had to hand a thick blanket over their windows, to darken their rooms. Now living in an urban area, I enjoy the evenings, but still feel empathy for those who have to work around it.

Guest on 25/09/2011 9:07am

I think it starts far too early. Its too hard getting up early in the morning in the dark and its still too cold to enjoy the extra hour at night anyway.

Nicola on 25/09/2011 8:19am

Ordinarily I am happy for dls to start now – but I’m taking my two young kiddies to Aus on Thursday so after four days of them having to get up super early, were going to go back three hours in time.

I originally voted perfect but after reading some comments I like the idea of Labour Weekend too. Labour Weekend always feels like the start of summer so what better time to have the start of daylight savings too. I’d vote for starting the friday night/sat morning of LW and then finishing on the night of Easter Monday/early Tuesday morning. That way we always get DLS for both long weekends and everyone will remember when it happens.

weather-nut on 25/09/2011 11:19pm

The SE states of Oz begin DST this coming weekend and end on the same weekend as us (Qld and the other states don’t observe DST), so any out-of-step time adjustments seem negligible.

Also, simply because Labour Weekend is our first long-weekend for several months, it doesn’t necessarily signal summer to me; in fact we usually get some of our most volatile weather around Oct/Nov and most Labour Weekends that I recall often only amount to one full fine day in three.

As for ending DST in Easter, Easter can occur any time from around the March equinox to up to 5 weeks later (first Sunday after the first full moon after equinox). So if some have a problem with rising before sunrise now, imagine what it would be like in late April.

Personally I like DST just the way it is. It’s not just about saving electricity, it’s about being able to enjoy more outdoor recreational pursuits after a normal day’s work.

It’s also interesting how there always seems to be vocal minority trying to dissuade majority opinion. Below is a link to a little history about how the DST we’re familiar with today has evolved in NZ …

Daylight Saving Since 1974

Laurence on 25/09/2011 6:33am

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had daylight saving all year round?

Guest on 25/09/2011 4:09am

Luv DS – great for those that can take advantage of it’s earlier arrival. Unfortunately I leave for work early and get home late so I guess I will be putting off enjoying the morning daylight again for another few weeks (bring on the weekends!)

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