At 11am on Tuesday, August 5, the North Otago Returned and Services Association and the Waitaki District Council will jointly hold a commemorative ceremony.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher is hoping for a big turnout at the World War 1 monument in lower Thames St.
''It is an important date in our history,'' he said.
''It was a time when we followed Britain into a war which was to be fought largely on the other side of the world and in which New Zealand was to ultimately lose many of its people.''
Following the declaration on August 5, 1914, by then New Zealand prime minister William Massey, New Zealand's participation in the ''Great War'' began in earnest.
The human cost was huge for the relatively young country.
Among the dominions of the British Empire, New Zealand had the highest percentage of its military-age men killed.
The loss of 18,166 men and women amounted to 5% of the total population and it severely affected small communities such as North Otago.
''This is a chance for us to honour those who went off to fight for 'King and Country' on behalf of all those left at home,'' Mr Kircher said.
There will be several speakers, including MP for Waitaki Jacqui Dean and representatives of the three RSA branches in the district - North Otago, East Otago and Waitaki Valley.
''This will be the first in a series of commemorations from the First World War,'' Mr Kircher said.
An organising committee is planning further events through to 2018 when the centenary of the end of the war will be commemorated.
In the intervening period, other significant dates will be acknowledged in a variety of ways.
