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Story: Labour Party

Michael Joseph Savage's victory speech, 1935

Audio file

'Now then, ladies and gentlemen.' In the era before television, the reassuring tones of Michael Joseph Savage, the first Labour prime minister, became familiar to the entire country through radio broadcasts. On election night, 27 November 1935, Savage spoke from 1YA. Listen to this extract from his speech.

An iconic photograph of Savage can be seen on the wall above this family eating dinner. This same image could once be found in the houses of Labour supporters throughout the country.

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Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Reference: 31886

Image: Palmerston North City Library, 2010N_A175-67-1_004203

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How to cite this page

Peter Aimer, Labour Party – First Labour government, 1935 to 1949, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/34030/michael-joseph-savages-victory-speech-1935 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Peter Aimer, published 31 October 2011, updated 1 January 2023.