Chatham Standard Time (CHAST)

UTC offset: +12:45
IANA identifier: Pacific/Chatham
Abbreviation: CHAST
Population: approximately 600
DST observed: Yes (advances to CHADT +13:45)

Chatham Standard Time is one of the world's three 45-minute offset zones (alongside Nepal's +05:45 and the unofficial Eucla +08:45 in Australia). The Chatham Islands sit 45 minutes ahead of mainland New Zealand's standard time (+12:00), maintaining this gap through both standard and daylight periods.

The offset was informally adopted when the Time Act 1945 set New Zealand to UTC+12:00. The Chatham Islanders set their clocks 45 minutes forward of that, approximating their natural solar time. The Time Act 1974 formalized this arrangement.

Among the First to See Each Day

At +12:45, the Chatham Islands are among the earliest populated places to begin each calendar day (beaten only by Tonga at +13:00 and Kiribati's Line Islands at +14:00, plus Samoa during DST at +14:00). In practical terms, New Year's Eve celebrations on the Chathams begin before anywhere in mainland New Zealand.

Economy

• Fishing: Crayfish (rock lobster), blue cod, paua (abalone). Most catch goes to mainland NZ or export.
• Farming: Sheep and cattle on the rolling grasslands.
• Tourism: Very small-scale. Expensive to reach (2-hour flight from Christchurch, limited schedule). Bird watchers and history/culture enthusiasts.
• Government/services: A few dozen public sector jobs.

Conservation

The Chatham Islands have extremely high rates of endemism:

• Chatham Island black robin: Recovered from 5 individuals (1980) to 300+ through intensive conservation. One of the world's most dramatic species rescues.
• Chatham petrel, Chatham snipe, Forbes' parakeet
• Chatham Island forget-me-not (Myosotidium hortensia): Large-leaved coastal plant, iconic of the islands

Technical Identifiers

• Pacific/Chatham (IANA canonical)
• CHAST (Chatham Standard Time, +12:45)
• CHADT (Chatham Daylight Time, +13:45)
• Windows: "Chatham Islands Standard Time"
• DST: NZ schedule
• Transition time: 2:45 a.m. (spring) / 3:45 a.m. (autumn)

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