diff --git a/pkg/api/unversioned/time_proto.go b/pkg/api/unversioned/time_proto.go
index 3ffc9a7e04..496d5d98ce 100644
--- a/pkg/api/unversioned/time_proto.go
+++ b/pkg/api/unversioned/time_proto.go
@@ -47,24 +47,39 @@ func (m *Time) ProtoTime() *Timestamp {
 }
 
 // Size implements the protobuf marshalling interface.
-func (m *Time) Size() (n int) { return m.ProtoTime().Size() }
+func (m *Time) Size() (n int) {
+	if m == nil || m.Time.IsZero() {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return m.ProtoTime().Size()
+}
 
 // Reset implements the protobuf marshalling interface.
 func (m *Time) Unmarshal(data []byte) error {
+	if len(data) == 0 {
+		m.Time = time.Time{}
+		return nil
+	}
 	p := Timestamp{}
 	if err := p.Unmarshal(data); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	m.Time = time.Unix(p.Seconds, int64(p.Nanos))
+	m.Time = time.Unix(p.Seconds, int64(p.Nanos)).Local()
 	return nil
 }
 
 // Marshal implements the protobuf marshalling interface.
 func (m *Time) Marshal() (data []byte, err error) {
+	if m == nil || m.Time.IsZero() {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
 	return m.ProtoTime().Marshal()
 }
 
 // MarshalTo implements the protobuf marshalling interface.
 func (m *Time) MarshalTo(data []byte) (int, error) {
+	if m == nil || m.Time.IsZero() {
+		return 0, nil
+	}
 	return m.ProtoTime().MarshalTo(data)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/unversioned/time_test.go b/pkg/api/unversioned/time_test.go
index 2f4f3696d6..60c61a7378 100644
--- a/pkg/api/unversioned/time_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/unversioned/time_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package unversioned
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -145,3 +146,28 @@ func TestTimeMarshalJSONUnmarshalYAML(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestTimeProto(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		input Time
+	}{
+		{Time{}},
+		{Date(1998, time.May, 5, 1, 5, 5, 50, time.Local)},
+		{Date(1998, time.May, 5, 5, 5, 5, 0, time.Local)},
+	}
+
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		input := c.input
+		data, err := input.Marshal()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Failed to marshal input: '%v': %v", input, err)
+		}
+		time := Time{}
+		if err := time.Unmarshal(data); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Failed to unmarshal output: '%v': %v", input, err)
+		}
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(input, time) {
+			t.Errorf("Marshal->Unmarshal is not idempotent: '%v' vs '%v'", input, time)
+		}
+	}
+}