Simon Bridges on moving to Auckland and endorsing Heart of the City boss Viv Beck for mayoralty

Former National Party leader Simon Bridges is backing Heart of the City boss Viv Beck in her bid for the Auckland mayoralty. Photo / Brett Phibbs

National's Simon Bridges is eyeing up a move to Auckland after he quits politics - and backing Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck to become the next mayor of the Super City.

Bridges says he loves Tauranga, where he has lived for more than 20 years and is the local MP, but the reality is it is a small pond and Auckland, where he grew up, offers more opportunities.

If he does move north, Bridges plans to live in central Auckland, saying there's a good chance his local MP will be the Greens' Chloe Swarbrick (Auckland Central) or Act's David Seymour (Epsom) - with an outside chance of buying a home in Tamaki where his brother-in-law Simon O'Connor is the MP.

At this stage, all the former National Party leader will say on the job front is he is exploring commercial opportunities, one or two media projects and planning some fun after 14 years in politics.

Queen St cafe owner Kiki Fejzullahu talks with National MP Simon Bridges and Heart of the City boss Viv Beck. Photo / Brett Phibbs

He ruled out a return to law - "billable units are a sucker's game" - and has absolutely no interest in local government.

Bridges visited downtown Auckland today, to meet with businesses hit hard by the impacts of Covid and talk with Beck, who said the CBD has been at the "absolute epicentre" of the pandemic.

Senior National MPs rarely comment on local government elections, but Bridges has thrown his support behind Beck, saying she would make a good mayor.

"The reason I say that is her undoubted confidence and I know she is focused on the right issues which are transport and safety. Viv will be very much a pro-business mayor," said Bridges, who announced nine days ago he is stepping down as an MP.

National's de facto local government arm in Auckland, Communities and Residents, also supports Beck, who is standing as an independent candidate.

Viv Beck is up against Leo Molloy for the centre-right vote. Photo / NZME

Beck is in a two-horse race with restaurateur Leo Molloy for the centre-right vote to replace Phil Goff, who is standing down after two terms.

Other candidates are Labour's Efeso Collins, Craig Lord, who got 30,000 votes three years ago, former New Conservative leader Ted Johnston and Jake Law.

Bridges said the central city has got some big issues with Covid and some ill-conceived transport issues that have made life harder for businesses and people looking to come into the city.

He met Kiki Fejzullahu, who has had to close two of his three cafes after debts piled up and landlords terminated the leases. His last remaining cafe, which opened only weeks before Covid struck in March 2020, has free rent for now but is struggling for customers.

The cafe is on the ground floor of a 30-storey tower on Queen St, which had 13,000 workers before Covid. Fejzullahu says "maybe 100 people" are currently working in the building, but the vast majority are working from home.

Instead of having six staff to serve 100 people between 8am and 10am, he is down to a skeleton staff serving fewer than 10 coffees in the morning.

"It has been very, very stressful. I'm a person who keeps things inside, but it's horrible and painful waiting for people," said Fejzullahu.

Aotea New Zealand Director Richard Hanson talks with National MP Simon Bridges and Heart of the City boss Viv Beck as they tour the CBD Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Richard Hanson, who operates a chain of Aotea Gifts souvenir shops throughout New Zealand, including one in the central city that opened in 1980, said he had been through lots of ups and downs, but nothing compared to the past two years with Covid.

"It's been phenomenally tough," said Hanson, who closed a store in Rotorua, which he described as a "disaster zone".

Beck said spending in the central city was down 54 per cent in the last six months of 2021 when the rest of New Zealand spending was up 3.2 per cent.

"Our businesses are at the epicentre and haven't had the chance to rebuild. For seriously impacted businesses hit again and again, this is the toughest time," said Beck.