Listen: Simon Bridges - on the road in Northland

National Party leader, Simon Bridges. Photo / George Novak

Simon Bridges is on the road today. The National Party leader is travelling around Northland in local MP Matt King's bus, with the aim of getting to know his public a little better.

Bridges caught up with The Country's Jamie Mackay to talk about what he hopes to achieve with his Northland road trip.

"It's really just about listening, getting a sense of what people think we did right in government, wrong in government, what we should be focusing on and also ... just giving people a sense of me and what I'm about."

Mackay suggests that Bridges may have his work cut out for him against the popularity of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Although Bridges agrees that Ardern has a following, he says it's "not transferring over to the crucial stuff for her, which is the party vote," and he reckons he is just starting out.

"It's really early days for me. We're in the middle of an electoral cycle, but we're getting out and doing the business, we're doing what I think we need to do."

So far meetings have had good attendance and the atmosphere has been positive. Bridges hopes this will be an influence on the people he has spoken to so far.

"They'll say, 'You know, actually, that Simon Bridges isn't a bad rooster after all'."

Also in today's interview: Simon Bridges talks about business confidence, Fair Pay Agreements and why he thinks Northland is not as prosperous as it should be.

Listen below: