New Zealand Was One Of The First Countries To Become Involved In The Global

This is not an occasion for many words; it is a dark day in the history of the world … It is with deep regret and sadness that I make this announcement on behalf of the Government, and the people will receive it with similar feelings. That will not, however, affect the determination of both Government and people to play their part.

At 1.55 a.m. on 4 September the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, cabled the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs in London to advise that ‘the existence of a state of war with Germany has accordingly been proclaimed in New Zealand’. The proclamation, and Fraser’s statement, were widely reported in newspapers later that day.

Although it is Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage’s insistent statement, ‘Where she goes, we go’, that is most often associated with this period, it was Fraser who essentially led the country throughout the war. He formally succeeded Savage as Prime Minister after the latter’s death on 27 March 1940.