For most New Zealanders, commitment to Britain did not depend on their political beliefs – both conservative and reform-minded New Zealanders saw themselves as part of Britain's colonial family. In this 1939 radio broadcast, Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage affirms that relationship on the outbreak of the Second World War. Saying 'Where she goes, we go, where she stands, we stand,' he assures listeners that New Zealand and Britain 'march forward to a common destiny'. The photo shows Savage on election night 1935, when he became the country's first Labour prime minister.

Sound file from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero (Rt. Hon. Michael Joseph Savage broadcasts to N.Z. outbreak of war. 1939-09-05/Reference number sa-d-00409-01-s01-pm).