Mixed reaction to winter time change

As people across the country wound their clocks back an hour at the weekend, many no doubt thought, "wouldn’t it be great to have daylight saving all year round".

The idea appears to be gathering momentum in the North Island, but in Otago and Southland it has garnered mixed responses and schools have given it a big thumbs down.

Many in the North Island argue changing the clocks causes disruption to people’s sleep patterns and circadian rhythms, and an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day would give children more time outdoors during winter and help combat seasonal depression.

It may also help the hospitality sector, because people would be less likely to go straight home during winter.

Daylight saving time was first mooted by entomologist George Hudson in 1895, who presented the idea to the Wellington Philosophical Society.

The initiative was picked up in 1927 and made official in 1974-75.

While those in the north say there is growing evidence to suggest there are social and economic benefits to locking in permanent summer hours, many in the South disagree.

In Dunedin, if daylight saving continued throughout winter, the sun would not rise until 9.20am in late June and early July, and would set about 6pm.

In Invercargill, because the city is further west, the sun would not rise until 9.31am and would set about 6.10pm.

However, further north in places like Auckland, the sun would rise at 8.34am and set about 6.15pm.

Green Island School principal Steve Hayward said it would have major safety repercussions for pupils in Otago and Southland schools.

"In a normal year, we have enough concerns about safety for children getting to and from school in winter conditions, which we experience anywhere from April through to the end of September.

"Walking to school in the dark would be even more dangerous."

During inclement weather, schools often started an hour later to allow snow or heavy frost to clear a little before pupils left home, he said.

However, under daylight saving, that could be blown out to two hours, which would be a major disruption to the day.

"It’s a serious road safety matter — not to mention that it is hard to get kids out of bed in the middle of winter as it is."

Southland Primary Principals’ Association executive member and Donovan School principal Peter Hopwood believed it would also undo all the hard work schools had done to encourage children to walk, bike or skate to school.

"We’ll have more kids in cars if it was dark."

Federated Farmers Otago dairy chairman and Tapanui dairy farmer Luke Kane said it did not affect farmers either way.

"At the end of the day, it doesn’t increase or decrease the hours of sunlight in a day. It’s just at a different time.

"The job has still got to be done and the number of daylight hours doesn’t change."

Vault 21, Deja Vu, Prohibition Smokehouse and Catacombs owner Andre Shi, of Dunedin, liked the idea.

He said having an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day in winter would encourage people to stop for a drink or a meal on the way home from work, rather than go straight home.

"It could boost our income by 10%-20%. I like the idea."

--  john.lewis@odt.co.nz