diff --git a/book/src/SUMMARY.md b/book/src/SUMMARY.md
index 9ca433b7..cf4ef127 100644
--- a/book/src/SUMMARY.md
+++ b/book/src/SUMMARY.md
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
   - [Operations and precedence](./operations.md)
   - [Constants](./constant-definitions.md)
   - [Unit conversions](./unit-conversions.md)
-  - [Other conversions](./conversion-functions.md)
+  - [Conversions functions](./conversion-functions.md)
   - [Function definitions](./function-definitions.md)
   - [Conditionals](./conditionals.md)
   - [Date and time](./date-and-time.md)
diff --git a/book/src/conversion-functions.md b/book/src/conversion-functions.md
index afa8ec5e..88275b6c 100644
--- a/book/src/conversion-functions.md
+++ b/book/src/conversion-functions.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Other conversions
+# Conversion functions
 
 The conversion operator `->` (or `to`) can not just be used for [unit conversions](./unit-conversions.md), but also for other types of conversions.
 The way this is set up in Numbat is that you can call `x -> f` for any function `f` that takes a single argument of the same type as `x`.
diff --git a/book/src/date-and-time.md b/book/src/date-and-time.md
index 8ca0365a..777a3549 100644
--- a/book/src/date-and-time.md
+++ b/book/src/date-and-time.md
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ now() - 1 million seconds
 parse_datetime("2024-11-01 12:30:00") - now() -> days
 
 # What time is it in Nepal right now?
-now() -> "Asia/Kathmandu"  # use tab completion to find time zone names
+now() -> tz("Asia/Kathmandu")  # use tab completion to find time zone names
 
 # What is the local time when it is 2024-11-01 12:30:00 in Australia?
-parse_datetime("2024-11-01 12:30:00 Australia/Sydney") -> "local"
+parse_datetime("2024-11-01 12:30:00 Australia/Sydney") -> local
 
 # What is the current UNIX timestamp?
 now() -> unixtime
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ The following operations are supported for `DateTime` objects:
 | `DateTime` | `-` | `DateTime` | Duration between the two dates as a `Time`. In `seconds`, by default. Use normal conversion for other time units. |
 | `DateTime` | `+` | `Time` | New `DateTime` by adding the duration to the date |
 | `DateTime` | `-` | `Time` | New `DateTime` by subtracting the duration from the date |
-| `DateTime` | `->` | `String` | Converts the datetime to the specified time zone. Note that you can use tab-completion for time zone names. |
+| `DateTime` | `->` | `tz("…")` | Converts the datetime to the specified time zone. Note that you can use tab-completion for time zone names. |
 
 <div class="warning">
 
@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ The following functions are available for date and time handling:
 - `now() -> DateTime`: Returns the current date and time.
 - `parse_datetime(input: String) -> DateTime`: Parses a string into a `DateTime` object.
 - `format_datetime(format: String, dt: DateTime) -> String`: Formats a `DateTime` object as a string. See [this page](https://docs.rs/chrono/latest/chrono/format/strftime/index.html#specifiers) for possible format specifiers.
+- `tz(tz: String) -> Fn[(DateTime) -> DateTime]`: Returns a timezone conversion function, typically used with the conversion operator (`datetime -> tz("Europe/Berlin")`)
+- `local(dt: DateTime) -> DateTime`: Timezone conversion function targeting the users local timezone (`datetime -> local`)
+- `get_local_timezone() -> String`: Returns the users local timezone
 - `unixtime(dt: DateTime) -> Scalar`: Converts a `DateTime` to a UNIX timestamp.
 - `from_unixtime(ut: Scalar) -> DateTime`: Converts a UNIX timestamp to a `DateTime` object.
 - `human(duration: Time) -> String`: Converts a `Time` to a human-readable string in days, hours, minutes and seconds
diff --git a/book/src/list-functions.md b/book/src/list-functions.md
index b6703365..ce80f024 100644
--- a/book/src/list-functions.md
+++ b/book/src/list-functions.md
@@ -105,6 +105,9 @@ fn sphere_volume<L>(radius: L) -> L^3
 fn now() -> DateTime
 fn parse_datetime(input: String) -> DateTime
 fn format_datetime(format: String, dt: DateTime) -> String
+fn tz(tz: String) -> Fn[(DateTime) -> DateTime]
+fn local(dt: DateTime) -> DateTime
+fn get_local_timezone() -> String
 fn from_unixtime(t: Scalar) -> DateTime
 fn unixtime(dt: DateTime) -> Scalar
 fn human(t: Time) -> String
diff --git a/numbat-cli/src/completer.rs b/numbat-cli/src/completer.rs
index 59b73857..2d9b8fd8 100644
--- a/numbat-cli/src/completer.rs
+++ b/numbat-cli/src/completer.rs
@@ -74,20 +74,15 @@ impl Completer for NumbatCompleter {
             ));
         }
 
-        // does it look like we're tab-completing a timezone (via the conversion operator)?
-        let complete_tz = line
-            .find("->")
-            .or_else(|| line.find('→'))
-            .or_else(|| line.find('➞'))
-            .or_else(|| line.find(" to "))
-            .and_then(|convert_pos| {
-                if let Some(quote_pos) = line.rfind('"') {
-                    if quote_pos > convert_pos && pos > quote_pos {
-                        return Some(quote_pos + 1);
-                    }
+        // does it look like we're tab-completing a timezone?
+        let complete_tz = line.find("tz(").and_then(|convert_pos| {
+            if let Some(quote_pos) = line.rfind('"') {
+                if quote_pos > convert_pos && pos > quote_pos {
+                    return Some(quote_pos + 1);
                 }
-                None
-            });
+            }
+            None
+        });
         if let Some(pos_word) = complete_tz {
             let word_part = &line[pos_word..];
             let matches = self
diff --git a/numbat-cli/src/main.rs b/numbat-cli/src/main.rs
index 156376d7..a68b8306 100644
--- a/numbat-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/numbat-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -262,11 +262,7 @@ impl Cli {
             completer: NumbatCompleter {
                 context: self.context.clone(),
                 modules: self.context.lock().unwrap().list_modules().collect(),
-                all_timezones: {
-                    let mut all_tz: Vec<_> = chrono_tz::TZ_VARIANTS.map(|v| v.name()).into();
-                    all_tz.push("local");
-                    all_tz
-                },
+                all_timezones: chrono_tz::TZ_VARIANTS.map(|v| v.name()).into(),
             },
             highlighter: NumbatHighlighter {
                 context: self.context.clone(),
diff --git a/numbat/modules/datetime/functions.nbt b/numbat/modules/datetime/functions.nbt
index 6908f9a4..87352653 100644
--- a/numbat/modules/datetime/functions.nbt
+++ b/numbat/modules/datetime/functions.nbt
@@ -3,5 +3,8 @@ use units::si
 fn now() -> DateTime
 fn parse_datetime(input: String) -> DateTime
 fn format_datetime(format: String, input: DateTime) -> String
+fn get_local_timezone() -> String
+fn tz(tz: String) -> Fn[(DateTime) -> DateTime]
+let local: Fn[(DateTime) -> DateTime] = tz(get_local_timezone())
 fn unixtime(input: DateTime) -> Scalar
 fn from_unixtime(input: Scalar) -> DateTime
diff --git a/numbat/src/bytecode_interpreter.rs b/numbat/src/bytecode_interpreter.rs
index 608cf6e5..ce301ee1 100644
--- a/numbat/src/bytecode_interpreter.rs
+++ b/numbat/src/bytecode_interpreter.rs
@@ -144,7 +144,6 @@ impl BytecodeInterpreter {
                     match operator {
                         BinaryOperator::Add => Op::AddToDateTime,
                         BinaryOperator::Sub => Op::SubFromDateTime,
-                        BinaryOperator::ConvertTo => Op::ConvertDateTime,
                         _ => unreachable!("{operator:?} is not valid with a DateTime"), // should be unreachable, because the typechecker will error first
                     }
                 };
diff --git a/numbat/src/ffi.rs b/numbat/src/ffi.rs
index 13b0e75b..cf511020 100644
--- a/numbat/src/ffi.rs
+++ b/numbat/src/ffi.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use chrono::Offset;
 use crate::currency::ExchangeRatesCache;
 use crate::interpreter::RuntimeError;
 use crate::pretty_print::PrettyPrint;
-use crate::value::Value;
+use crate::value::{FunctionReference, Value};
 use crate::vm::ExecutionContext;
 use crate::{ast::ProcedureKind, quantity::Quantity};
 
@@ -375,6 +375,24 @@ pub(crate) fn functions() -> &'static HashMap<String, ForeignFunction> {
             },
         );
 
+        m.insert(
+            "get_local_timezone".to_string(),
+            ForeignFunction {
+                name: "get_local_timezone".into(),
+                arity: 0..=0,
+                callable: Callable::Function(Box::new(get_local_timezone)),
+            },
+        );
+
+        m.insert(
+            "tz".to_string(),
+            ForeignFunction {
+                name: "tz".into(),
+                arity: 1..=1,
+                callable: Callable::Function(Box::new(tz)),
+            },
+        );
+
         m.insert(
             "unixtime".to_string(),
             ForeignFunction {
@@ -848,6 +866,26 @@ fn format_datetime(args: &[Value]) -> Result<Value> {
     Ok(Value::String(output))
 }
 
+fn get_local_timezone(args: &[Value]) -> Result<Value> {
+    assert!(args.len() == 0);
+
+    let local_tz = crate::datetime::get_local_timezone()
+        .unwrap_or(chrono_tz::Tz::UTC)
+        .to_string();
+
+    Ok(Value::String(local_tz))
+}
+
+fn tz(args: &[Value]) -> Result<Value> {
+    assert!(args.len() == 1);
+
+    let tz = args[0].unsafe_as_string();
+
+    Ok(Value::FunctionReference(FunctionReference::TzConversion(
+        tz.into(),
+    )))
+}
+
 fn unixtime(args: &[Value]) -> Result<Value> {
     assert!(args.len() == 1);
 
diff --git a/numbat/src/typechecker.rs b/numbat/src/typechecker.rs
index 38c3842c..9960c003 100644
--- a/numbat/src/typechecker.rs
+++ b/numbat/src/typechecker.rs
@@ -760,7 +760,6 @@ impl TypeChecker {
                 } else if lhs_checked.get_type() == Type::DateTime {
                     // DateTime types need special handling here, since they're not scalars with dimensions,
                     // yet some select binary operators can be applied to them
-                    // TODO how to better handle all the operations we want to support with date
 
                     let rhs_is_time = dtype(&rhs_checked)
                         .ok()
@@ -768,16 +767,7 @@ impl TypeChecker {
                         .unwrap_or(false);
                     let rhs_is_datetime = rhs_checked.get_type() == Type::DateTime;
 
-                    if *op == BinaryOperator::ConvertTo && rhs_checked.get_type() == Type::String {
-                        // Supports timezone conversion
-                        typed_ast::Expression::BinaryOperatorForDate(
-                            *span_op,
-                            *op,
-                            Box::new(lhs_checked),
-                            Box::new(rhs_checked),
-                            Type::DateTime,
-                        )
-                    } else if *op == BinaryOperator::Sub && rhs_is_datetime {
+                    if *op == BinaryOperator::Sub && rhs_is_datetime {
                         let time = self
                             .registry
                             .get_base_representation_for_name("Time")
diff --git a/numbat/src/typed_ast.rs b/numbat/src/typed_ast.rs
index 556026c6..411613d3 100644
--- a/numbat/src/typed_ast.rs
+++ b/numbat/src/typed_ast.rs
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ pub enum Expression {
         BinaryOperator,
         /// LHS must evaluate to a DateTime
         Box<Expression>,
-        /// RHS can evaluate to a DateTime, a quantity of type Time, or a String (for timezone conversions)
+        /// RHS can evaluate to a DateTime or a quantity of type Time
         Box<Expression>,
         Type,
     ),
diff --git a/numbat/src/value.rs b/numbat/src/value.rs
index 8caaafdd..4c7da42e 100644
--- a/numbat/src/value.rs
+++ b/numbat/src/value.rs
@@ -4,13 +4,18 @@ use crate::{pretty_print::PrettyPrint, quantity::Quantity};
 pub enum FunctionReference {
     Foreign(String),
     Normal(String),
+    // TODO: We can get rid of this variant once we implement closures:
+    TzConversion(String),
 }
 
 impl std::fmt::Display for FunctionReference {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
         match self {
-            FunctionReference::Foreign(name) => write!(f, "<builtin function: {}>", name),
-            FunctionReference::Normal(name) => write!(f, "<function: {}>", name),
+            FunctionReference::Foreign(name) => write!(f, "<builtin function: {name}>"),
+            FunctionReference::Normal(name) => write!(f, "<function: {name}>"),
+            FunctionReference::TzConversion(tz) => {
+                write!(f, "<builtin timezone conversion function: {tz}>")
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/numbat/src/vm.rs b/numbat/src/vm.rs
index afe70c69..071af8cd 100644
--- a/numbat/src/vm.rs
+++ b/numbat/src/vm.rs
@@ -78,8 +78,6 @@ pub enum Op {
     SubFromDateTime,
     /// Computes the difference between two DateTimes
     DiffDateTime,
-    /// Converts a DateTime value to another timezone
-    ConvertDateTime,
 
     /// Move IP forward by the given offset argument if the popped-of value on
     /// top of the stack is false.
@@ -130,7 +128,6 @@ impl Op {
             | Op::Subtract
             | Op::SubFromDateTime
             | Op::DiffDateTime
-            | Op::ConvertDateTime
             | Op::Multiply
             | Op::Divide
             | Op::Power
@@ -165,7 +162,6 @@ impl Op {
             Op::Subtract => "Subtract",
             Op::SubFromDateTime => "SubDateTime",
             Op::DiffDateTime => "DiffDateTime",
-            Op::ConvertDateTime => "ConvertDateTime",
             Op::Multiply => "Multiply",
             Op::Divide => "Divide",
             Op::Power => "Power",
@@ -544,14 +540,6 @@ impl Vm {
         }
     }
 
-    #[track_caller]
-    fn pop_string(&mut self) -> String {
-        match self.pop() {
-            Value::String(s) => s,
-            _ => panic!("Expected string to be on the top of the stack"),
-        }
-    }
-
     #[track_caller]
     fn pop(&mut self) -> Value {
         self.stack.pop().expect("stack should not be empty")
@@ -705,21 +693,6 @@ impl Vm {
 
                     self.push(ret);
                 }
-                Op::ConvertDateTime => {
-                    let rhs = self.pop_string();
-                    let lhs = self.pop_datetime();
-
-                    let offset = if rhs == "local" {
-                        crate::datetime::local_offset_for_datetime(&lhs)
-                    } else {
-                        let tz: chrono_tz::Tz = rhs
-                            .parse()
-                            .map_err(|_| RuntimeError::UnknownTimezone(rhs))?;
-                        lhs.with_timezone(&tz).offset().fix()
-                    };
-
-                    self.push(Value::DateTime(lhs, offset));
-                }
                 op @ (Op::LessThan | Op::GreaterThan | Op::LessOrEqual | Op::GreatorOrEqual) => {
                     let rhs = self.pop_quantity();
                     let lhs = self.pop_quantity();
@@ -870,6 +843,19 @@ impl Vm {
                                 Callable::Procedure(..) => unreachable!("Foreign procedures can not be targeted by a function reference"),
                             }
                         }
+                        FunctionReference::TzConversion(tz_name) => {
+                            // TODO: implement this using a closure, once we have that in the language
+
+                            let dt = self.pop_datetime();
+
+                            let tz: chrono_tz::Tz = tz_name
+                                .parse()
+                                .map_err(|_| RuntimeError::UnknownTimezone(tz_name.into()))?;
+
+                            let offset = dt.with_timezone(&tz).offset().fix();
+
+                            self.push(Value::DateTime(dt, offset));
+                        }
                     }
                 }
                 Op::PrintString => {