Opinion: Adopting new technologies and engaging with social media is no longer optional. Online platforms are ubiquitous.
As we've seen during this global pandemic, this technology can be used for great good.
But 14 months ago, we saw how social media and online tech platforms can also be used for evil.
The man responsible for the death of 51 Muslims wasn't dangerous just because he had access to a deadly firearm, he was dangerous because he'd had prolonged access to increasingly extreme online content.
He then exposed others to violent acts of terrorism when he livestreamed 17 minutes of the attack. The video was viewed 4000 times before being removed, and remains available in corners of the web.
Immediately following the Christchurch terror attack, the Prime Minister asked officials for options to combat the rise of online extremist content and radicalisation.
Within days, top officials pulled together a selection of possible ways forward, but they warned Jacinda Ardern working with tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google wouldn't be easy.
Against the odds, just six weeks later the Christchurch Call - a commitment from countries, supranational organisations and tech giants to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online - was launched at a summit in Paris.
And so this marked New Zealand's first real foray into tech diplomacy.
Today marks one year since the launch of the call. There are now eight tech companies, and more than 50 countries committed to the agreement.
There's also tangible progress being made by tech companies, countries and civil society on the world's biggest online issues: the spread of misinformation, sexual exploitation and abuse of children, terrorism and cybercrime. This is happening largely through the overhaul of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT).
And New Zealand now has its first dedicated tech diplomat: Paul Ash is now the Prime Minister's Special Representative for Cyber and Digital. But some people just call him the Tech Tsar.
Those behind the Christchurch Call say creating this type of international agreement was unprecedented, particularly in such a short space of time.
Victoria Hallum, who was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's acting head of multilateral affairs at the time, says the fear of failure was a great driver. And when they pulled it off, those who came up with the idea in the dark days following March 15, were just as amazed as anyone.
The day after the Paris Summit, Hallum was in London, where she saw Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron plastered across the front page of the Financial Times.
"I thought, 'oh my God, we actually did it'."
But this was no small ask.
The tech giants are frequently in the news for the wrong reasons: privacy breaches, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, questionable algorithms, or exploitation of tax loopholes.
Their relationship with governments is defensive; sometimes combative, as parties come after the tech giants in an exercise of political posturing.
But these companies are also too big to ignore. If Facebook was a country, its population would be larger than any nation state. Most of the firms who signed onto the Christchurch Call have larger stock market capitalisations than the value of New Zealand's GDP. These are big entities, with global reach, and enormous influence.
Getting the likes of Facebook and Google onside meant adopting a new type of international relations, and using all the charm, innovation and smarts New Zealand's diplomats pride themselves in possessing.
As Hallum put it: "It was clear to us that we needed to engage directly - hearts and minds - with the humans in the tech companies."
When Ash headed to the west coast of the United States, his first meeting with the tech companies could've gone either way. They were wary of the government officials in the room, and they were wary of each other.
But a fashion faux pas broke the ice, and showed these diplomats were willing to adapt to achieve a common goal.
As was the norm for an international meeting, Ash had put on his suit and tie, only to walk into a room of jeans and linen blazers.
He immediately removed his tie: "I won't be needing this today, then".
New Zealand's government and its foreign affairs officials aren't coy when it comes to talking about their relationship-building skills. That's really all New Zealand has to fall back on, when it's in the room with major international players.
So a new form of diplomacy, reliant on building relationships, with big, tricky, ego-centric organisations, fits well within New Zealand's wheelhouse.
"We could go down the Teddy Roosevelt line, and speak softly and carry a big stick," Ash says. "It's just that we don't have a big stick."
The lessons New Zealand has learnt from tech diplomacy can be used in other areas, such as combating climate change, access to sustainable energy, and improving global health outcomes.
The need for collaboration and new forms of diplomacy was clear following the Christchurch attack, and has again been highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
For example, the international supply of PPE and figuring out how to deal with cruise liners have highlighted the need for competent communications between countries and private business.
Of course there will be tensions and clashes, and the non-binding nature of agreements like the Christchurch Call rightfully calls into question whether these types of international pacts really have teeth.
But a clear understanding of mutual expectations, good relationships, and a healthy dose of fear of reputational damage, means these new types of diplomacy can lead to tangible change.
"It was a bit of a wild ride at times last year, but we are now well and truly in the business of tech diplomacy… and will be for a while to come," says Ash, who is also now much more comfortable wearing jeans to a meeting.
Laura Walters in a freelance journalist based in London.
