The last thing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey did on his quick trip to New Zealand was spend some of his fortune buying two Mrs Mac's pies from a dairy at the corner of Tirangi Rd and Coutts St, Lyall Bay, Wellington.
The billionaire social media boss paid a visit to the Beehive on Monday, meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to discuss changes social media companies can make in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack.
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to meet with Twitter boss Jack Dorsey
- Jacinda Ardern asked to tell Twitter to kick 8chan out
Dorsey didn't take questions from Newshub when he ducked out of his private jet hangar with two companions to grab two meat pies. Dorsey said his conversation with Ardern was "great" and that she's "amazing", before taking the pies and boarding his plane.
Dorsey has made headlines in the recent past for his unusual diet, telling media he eats just one meal - dinner - on weekdays, and not at all on the weekend.
The pies were carried out the corner store by his companions but were paid for by Dorsey. The dairy also carried two-for-$5 Irvine Pies in the same warmer but the trio opted for the slightly pricier Mrs Mac's variety. Neither of these pies are considered gourmet in New Zealand.
Dorsey met Ardern in her ninth floor Beehive office in the morning. He tweeted about their follow-up discussion on the Christchurch Call, saying it was his first time in New Zealand, and describing Kiwis as "kind folks".
A spokesperson for Dorsey said they discussed progress on the Christchurch Call ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting later this month.
Dorsey wouldn't tell Newshub if there had been any specific changes since the March 15 Christchurch terror attack, but the Prime Minister insists there have been.
"We will be announcing some of that progress at the UN General Assembly," Ardern said at her Monday post-Cabinet press conference.
She said she raised the issue of 8chan with Dorsey, saying: "I sensed an awareness of the issue. I think we'll probably have an ongoing conversation about it."
8chan - the website where the alleged Christchurch gunman posted his manifesto - was shut down last month after gunmen in two mass shootings in the US also posted to the site.
But it is alive and well on Twitter. It's even got the blue tick. There have been calls to kick it off the social media site for good.
"There is the added issue of: if not that platform, will we see another platform rise up?" Ardern said. "So it's a much bigger issue than just 8chan."
The Christchurch Call in Paris was Ardern's major global pitch to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online after the Christchurch shootings.
Six months on and heading to New York for the UN General Assembly, Ardern has to show it's all been worthwhile.
"I certainly sense that none of the momentum from March 15 has been lost and, if anything, they are more resolute than ever," she said.
The Prime Minister has two weeks to build that momentum - that's when she'll be appearing at the UN general assembly.
Newshub.
