When Britain declared war on Germany at the start of the First World War , the New Zealand Government followed without hesitation, despite its geographic isolation and small population. It was believed at the time that any declaration of war by the United Kingdom automatically included New Zealand ; and the Governor the Earl of Liverpool announced that New Zealand was at war with Germany from the steps of Parliament on 5 August.
The total number of New Zealand troops and nurses to serve overseas in —18, excluding those in British and other Dominion forces, was ,, from a population of just over a million. Forty-two percent of men of military age served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force , fighting in the Gallipoli campaign and on the Western Front.
This followed the declaration of war made by Austria-Hungary against Serbia, the news of which threatened to bring Russia, and her allies, Britain and France, into the conflict.
This authorised the commencement of certain mobilisation and defensive procedures. These included implementing inspections of incoming vessels at the four major ports, mobilisation of the garrison artillery to man the various forts around the country, and commencement of censorship. Radio stations and the sites where undersea telegraph cables came on shore were placed under guard. The cruiser HMS Philomel , on a training voyage in the Cook Strait was recalled and made ready for war, such as it could be given its rundown state.
The country's small Royal Naval Reserve was called up on 2 August to help crew the cruiser. The conflict in Europe escalated in the following days when Germany declared war on Russia [12] and then on 4 August invaded Belgium. This brought France and Britain into the war in support of Belgium. Although a self-governing Dominion, such were New Zealand's ties to Great Britain as part of the British Empire it was inherently understood that the country was automatically at war as well.
