Simon Bridges gives low mark for PM Jacinda Ardern's 'substance' on UN trip

She's held high-profile meetings with US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg as well as spoken at the UN's Climate Action Summit in New York, but National Party leader Simon Bridges says Jacinda Ardern lacked substance while doing so.

He spoke about the Prime Minister's trip to New York on TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning, after host Matty McLean asked him to rate his political rival's performance.

"I suppose it depends what you're talking about - I mean if it's sort of the presentation and so on," Mr Bridges said. "I think that the PM always does a good job on that. I suppose if it's the substance and what it actually means for us back home I'd give a much lower mark.

"What we've got in the PM is, you know, the woke progressive left. Internationally we want to see as a champion, but when it comes to it, if you take climate change, she said no one has the luxury of coping out - she did. She didn't raise it with [Mr Trump] the leader of the free world who has the most ability to make change."

But McLean suggested to Mr Bridges that he would have criticised Ms Ardern if she hadn't raised trade with Mr Trump. Ms Ardern told media after her 25-minute meeting that they talked about a range of topics including trade, tourism and the Christchurch terrorist attacks.

Mr Bridges said it was good that she raised trade, but added, "I'm just making the point that with the nuclear free moment, all this sort of publicity around the Christchurch Call - I don't see a lot there."

He agreed it was important for the Prime Minister to go to Japan and the UN, but said with Mr Trump he would have focused on trade as well as bringing up climate change.

"I would've raised climate change, not in an aggressive way," he said. "Because the truth is it's not that we can make no progress without him, it's because he has the most ability to make progress."

Mr Bridges also likened the Christchurch Call without Mr Trump's backing to a "toothless tiger".

Tackling the issues in New Zealand should be a priority for the Prime Minister, Mr Bridges added.

"What really matters is what happens here, and whether it's KiwiBuild, measles, you name it, a royal commission that's botched, Kiwis finding it harder and harder with costs and the like - we're not seeing delivery back home.

"New Zealanders know what's most important is delivering at home and we're just not seeing that."