The global pandemic forced millions inside and online, changing the way the world interacts and does business, and accelerating technology adoption. George Driver discovers how this year, New Zealand brought the future a little closer. March 22, 2020: I am standing at the door of my tent in a deserted campground on a Northland beach, watching the waves crash in the sunset as the world shuts down. The previous day my girlfriend and I parked up on a winding coastal road, finding a rare patch of radio signal as Jacinda Ardern addressed the nation and introduced the Covid-19 alert level system. The campground we were staying at announced it was closing early in anticipation.