The Polynesian island of Tonga has decided to reinstate Daylight Saving Time, which will go into effect on Sunday, November 6, 2016. On that day, clocks in the country will be moved forward 1 hour, from 02:00 AM to 03:00 AM local time.

 

Tonga’s DST period is remarkably short, at two months long. Therefore, the time change won’t last long – on Sunday, January 15, 2017 the clocks will be moved back an hour.

 

The island of Fiji observes the same Daylight Saving schedule, but Samoa and New Zealand do not.

 

Tonga Has an Extreme Offset

 

The island of Tonga and Kiritimati have a UTC offset of plus fourteen hours (UTC +14). This is the largest time offset used today. It also means these two locations will be the first to ring in the new year, entering 2017 before anyone else.

 

Tongan DST History

 

In 1999, Tonga introduced DST which meant they were one of the first countries to enter the year 2000. Eventually, they ended DST in 2002.

 

But the current decision to reintroduce DST was made by the Tongan Cabinet on Friday, October 21, 2016. They voted to go forward with the change because it will give them 1 extra hour of daylight in the evenings, allowing more time for economic and social activities - particularly when it comes to tourism.

 

Image by Tony Bowden (Flickr)